Learning The Truth
by nebula2
Summary: (Complete) The Witter family is held in respect by the residents of Capeside but what if they new the truth? What if they knew what being a member of the Witter family was really about?
1. Doug

Note: I have not seen all of the Dawson's Creek episodes. I've seen a lot of the first ones but have no clue as to how it ends so this might not fit in with the show's storyline at all so if it don't consider it an AU fic. I hope you will read and enjoy it anyway. I want to thank C-Chan96 for spurring me on to write the story by convincing me to read her story Loser, which in a way deals with the same thing and was the first Dawson Creek fic I read. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought there might be something else going on at the Witter house.  
  
Deputy Doug Witter's patrol took him past Capeside High School just as the kids were getting out for the afternoon. He pulled the squad car over to the curb and put it in park. He wasn't sure why he was even here. All he knew was that something was bothering him about his brother. He wasn't sure what was going on but he knew he was worried about him.  
Doug saw Pacey Witter come out of the school with Dawson Leery. The two were chatting and both were smiling. At least until Pacey got a glance of the Capeside Patrol Car sitting across the street. As he saw his brother start walking across the street toward him Doug quit looking at the school and looked down at his steering wheel.  
"Why if it isn't Deputy Doug. On a dangerous stakeout of the high school. You know someone might run away with the front door in the middle of the day."  
"Very funny, Pacey," Doug said looking up at his brother who was now standing next to the patrol car. There was no trace of humor in Doug's voice. Why couldn't he and his brother ever have a serious conversation.  
"Oh then let me guess, Dad sent you over to keep an eye on me. You know you wouldn't want the black sheep of the family casting a bad image of the family."  
"Pacey, stop it," Doug said.  
"Look I have a friend waiting for me, I know that's a foreign concept for you being as you have no friends, but I'll have to cut this conversation short. And while you're at it do us both a favor and stop keeping tabs on me," Pacey told him taking a step away from the car.  
As his brother started to turn away Doug caught a glance of a bruise on his brother's wrist despite the long sleeve shirt Pacey was wearing.  
"Pacey is everything okay?" Doug asked.  
"Yeah its fine," Pacey told him cheerfully. "Couldn't be better." Doug could tell that the cheerfulness was fake.  
"And the bruise," Doug said stepping out of the car.  
"What bruise," Pacey said trying to pretend that he had no idea what his brother was talking about.  
Doug reached out and took a hold of his brother's hand with one hand and pushed the sleeve of his shirt up. "That bruise," Doug said.  
Pacey looked down at his own wrist surprised, like he didn't even realize the bruise was there. "Hmm, I guess I must have ran into something," Pacey said calmly. "I got to go," he told his brother again.  
"Pacey is everything okay at home?" Doug asked.  
"Yeah everything is fine," Pacey said. "You know what the Witter family is like. We're the perfect American family," he said sarcastically and walked back across the street to where Dawson was waiting.  
"Yeah I know," Doug said softly as he watched his brother walk toward his friend Dawson. ***flashback***  
The nine year old Doug Witter stood timidly in front of his dad. John Witter was staring down at paper in front of him - anger etched in his face. The paper was Doug's report card and Sheriff John Witter was none to happy to see the low marks his son had gotten and this was only third grade.  
"This is disgraceful," John Witter yelled at the young boy. "How do you plan on making anything of yourself if you get grades like this."  
"I don't need school," Doug told his father calmly. The remark earned him a hard slap across the face. It was only another time in the long line of times that Doug had been hit by his father. It was just the way things were. Doug had lost count of the bruises he had seen on his mother from times when his Dad had hit her.  
"Don't you say that. No son of mine is going to be a drop out. You need school and you will do good at school whether you like it or not. What kind of job do you think you're going to get if you get grades like this."  
"I'm not going to get a job," Doug said confidently. "I'm going to be a baseball player." Doug was the star on his little league team. His dream wasn't so far fetched. He did have a shot at playing professional baseball.  
John Witter quickly stood up and pushed his son up against the wall. "I never want to hear that from you again, do you hear me," he yelled slapping his son across the face again. "I won't have my son disgracing this family by not doing something worthwhile. You will get good grades and you will make something respectable of yourself. Do you understand me?"  
Doug had never seen such fury in his Dad's eyes before. His dad slammed him up against the wall again. Doug bit his lip to keep from crying out.  
"Do you?" John Witter yelled again. Doug just nodded his head. His father let him go and Doug sank to his knees and started crying.  
From that day Doug gave up his dream of playing baseball. He didn't want to make his Dad mad at him. From that day on Doug did well at school. Schoolwork became the most important thing to him. He did everything his father asked of him, trying to make him proud. His new dream was to follow in his father's footsteps. That dream made his Dad happy and Doug never had to see that fury in his father's eyes again, at least not directed at him. He had found a way to keep his father from hitting him. Why couldn't his mother see that all she had to do was what his father wanted her too. She only brought the bruises upon herself. Just like he had been doing but Doug knew better now. Kneeling there on the floor in tears Doug made a vow to never stand up to his father again. Never.  
  
***end flashback***  
"Believe me Pacey, I know," Doug whispered to himself as he got back into the squad car. He cast one more look back at his younger brother before pulling the car away from the curb and continuing his patrol.  
He couldn't put all the blame on Pacey for the relationship, or lack of one, between the two of them. Doug was just as much to blame as Pacey was, maybe more so.  
  
***flashback***  
It was the day after his fourteenth birthday. Doug was out in the yard under the tree studying for an upcoming test when he heard the commotion start. He heard the raised voices and the breaking dishes but he tried to tune them out. It wasn't such an odd occurrence at his house. His mother had done something wrong again.  
"Doug," he heard a young voice cry out. He looked up to see his six year-old brother come running toward him, fear on his face and tears running down his cheeks. "Doug do something," Pacey pleaded as he stopped before his older brother. "Daddy's hurting mommy."  
"She must have did something wrong," Doug said without so much as a glance toward the house. He remembered the beatings he use to get when he did something wrong. He had learned his lesson -why couldn't his mother.  
"Do something," Pacey pleaded with him.  
"There is nothing I can do," Doug said and stood up. He started to walk away.  
"You could if you wanted to. You just don't care," Pacey called after his older brother. Doug glanced back at the young boy. He saw the disappointment is his eyes. The resentment. But there was nothing that could be done. The fourteen year-old Doug just walked away. He knew someday his brother would understand. ***end flashback*** 


	2. Suspicions

Note: Thanks for reading C-Chan96. Seems like you were the only one who reviewed (and maybe the only one that read the first chapter) but that's okay I like the story myself so I'm charging on even if it is for just one reader. Hope you like this chapter as much as the first chapter. Happy reading!  
  
Dawson Leery watched the short exchange between his best friend and his older brother. He didn't understand the two of them sometimes. Dawson thought Pacey was so lucky to even have an older brother yet he always got the impression that Pacey would have preferred to be an only child. Dawson didn't even know why the two of them didn't get along. That was one thing that Pacey would not talk about. Pacey didn't talk about his family too much period.  
In all the years that Dawson had known him, he had only been over to Pacey's house three times and all three times the only one home had been Pacey's mother. Mrs. Witter was nice enough but very rarely was she seen around Capeside and when she was she was always with John Witter. Dawson knew that Pacey's relationship with his father was just like the one he had with his brother. Only difference was, is that Pacey would complain about things his father did to his friends. Dawson always had a feeling though that there something more going on than what Pacey talked about.  
"You know you could be a little nicer to your brother," Dawson told Pacey as his friend rejoined him and the two of them started walking toward Dawson's house.  
"Who's side are you on anyways?" Pacey immediately asked defensively.  
"I'm not on anybody's side," Dawson told his friend. "I'm just making a comment. Maybe if you tried to be a little nicer to him the two of you would have a better relationship."  
"No it won't help," Pacey told him. "Any chance of the two of us having any kind of relationship ended years ago."  
Dawson looked over at his friend. He heard something in his friend's voice that he didn't hear too often - longing. Could it be that Pacey wanted to be closer to his brother than he was?  
"What happened between the two of you anyways?" Dawson asked carefully. It was a question he had always wanted to ask but had never had the courage to ask before.  
"Let's not go there," Pacey told Dawson not wanting to go into it. Unfortunately he couldn't put off the memory that the simple question brought back.  
  
***flashback***  
Pacey had just woken up from an afternoon nap. He got out of bed and headed downstairs. He heard raised voices as he made his way done the steps. Pacey thought about running back up to his room. He hated it when his dad yelled. It usually ended up in either him or his Mom getting hit.  
Pacey didn't turn around though this time. He slowly made his way to the kitchen. The sound of breaking glass caused him to jump and stop in his tracks momentarily. It was followed by the sound of more dishes hitting the wall. Pacey could hear his Mom sobbing. He crept slowly toward the kitchen and peeked around the corner. He didn't want his father to see him.  
He could hear his Dad yelling at his Mom ranting about all the things she had done wrong and how worthless she was. As Pacey peeked around corner he saw his Mom kneeling on the floor crying, her tears mixing with the blood from the cut on her cheek. The blood scared Pacey. Bruises he was use to but he had never seen blood before.  
Pacey turned and ran for the front door. He was sure his older brother Doug was outside. Doug always went outside when his Dad started yelling. He came out onto the front porch and immediately noticed his brother sitting in the grass under a tree.  
"Doug," Pacey called running toward his brother. "Doug do something," Pacey said. His brother was older. He would know what to do. He could stop what was going on. His big brother could do anything. "Daddy's hurting mommy."  
"She must have did something wrong," Doug said simply.  
"Do something," Pacey pleaded with him.  
"There is nothing I can do," Doug told him. He stood up and started walking away from Pacey.  
Pacey didn't believe him. He knew there was something Doug could do. "You could if you wanted to. You just don't care," Pacey called after his older brother. How could his big brother, who he adored, who he wanted to be just like be so heartless.  
Doug glanced back at Pacey but then continued walking. Though he didn't understand exactly what it was, it was at that point that Pacey lost on respect for his older brother. After that day he didn't look up to his big brother anymore. Instead, Pacey was determined not to be anything like him. No matter what he was going to be the exact opposite from his older brother starting right now. The six year-old boy ran back toward the house to do anything he could to help his mother.  
  
***end flashback***  
Dawson looked over at his friend trying to read the strange emotions that he saw pass over Pacey's face. It made him realize how little he truly knew about his best friend and also wondered how well anyone in Capeside knew the Witter family.  
"I got a knew idea for a movie," Dawson said instead of trying to pry any further. "You want to hear about it?"  
"Sure," Pacey said glad that Dawson had chosen not to pry further. He wanted to tell Dawson about his home life, he really did but he didn't know how. He didn't know how he could tell anyone about what life at the Witter household was like without making things worse than what they already were.  
  
"Hi Dawson," Joey Potter said as she climbed though his bedroom window later that night.  
"Joey hi," Dawson said coming out of his thoughts. After Pacey had left that evening after dinner, Dawson had spent hours thinking about what he had seen that afternoon. As he looked at the clock he realized that it was eight o'clock and he still had homework to do.  
"Is everything okay?" Joey asked sitting down on the bed beside Dawson.  
"I don't know," Dawson told her unsure of how to bring up what he was thinking about. Joey and Pacey weren't exactly best friends. Dawson was convinced that if it wasn't that they were both his friends the two of them wouldn't even talk to each other at all.  
"Come on Dawson," Joey told him resting her hand on his arm. "You know you can tell me anything."  
"It's not that easy Joey," Dawson told her. "It doesn't involve just me. Its someone else I'm worried about."  
"Pacey?" Joey asked softly. Dawson looked at her softly. How did she guess that so easily? "He's your best friend Dawson," Joey said with a smile. "It's the next logical conclusion."  
"Of course," Dawson said easily.  
"Did the two of you have a fight?" Joey asked not giving up. She knew Dawson well. If you didn't force him to talk about how he was feeling than he would keep it all inside.  
"No," Dawson told her. "We didn't have a fight." He paused considering if he should go on. If it was Jenn or someone else he was talking to he probably wouldn't but this was Joey. He knew she wouldn't give up easily. "I guess I was just wondering what his family life is really like. He never talks about it except to complain about his father from time to time. I've only ever even been to his house a handful of times. I guess I'm just worried that there is something going on over there that nobody knows about."  
"Dawson, are you serious?" Joey asked incredulously knowing instantly what Dawson was hinting at. "John Witter is the sheriff of Capeside, to even suggest something like that is dangerous. Besides he's a cop. He's suppose to stop things like that. I find it hard to believe that he would do something like that himself," she told him. She didn't want to believe. If they couldn't trust the police force of Capeside to be above that then what kind of trust could they have in each other. In their police force.  
"I know Joey, its hard to believe but .... I don't know."  
"What brought this about?" Joey asked him. From what she knew right now this all seemed to have just come right out of the blue. Dawson had never even hinted before that he had ever thought about this before.  
"I witnessed one of Pacey's brief conversations with his brother today and then when I asked him about what had happened between the two of them he told me not to go there."  
"So Pacey doesn't get along with his brother. That doesn't mean that it's a family problem. I don't always get along with my sister."  
"Yeah, but you don't hate you sister. I honestly believe that Pacey hates his brother," Dawson said.  
"I think your over reacting," Joey said.  
"Plus Doug noticed a bruise on Pacey's wrist that Pacey just shrugged off when Doug asked him about it." Dawson told her. "That wasn't the first mysterious bruise Pacey has had, Joey and you know it."  
Joey thought about Dawson's words. It was true that Pacey had shown up to school with bruises from time to time. When somebody mentioned them he always acted like he hadn't noticed them and said he must have ran into something. Joey had always just figured he was clumsy. Now that she thought about it though, maybe Dawson had point.  
"What are you going to do about it?" Joey asked Dawson.  
"I don't know, Joey," Dawson told her. "I honestly don't know." 


	3. Slipping

Note: Ah, I do have other readers it's so nice to know. Thanks boys1girl, Vale, Lani and ty-crazy for letting me know your out there and I'm glad you like the story so far. Blossom301 I'm glad you liked the flashbacks and the way I'm portraying Pacey. Rachel00 thanks for getting around to reviewing my story. I love reviews. Since seeing some of the begining shows I was always intrigued by Doug and Pacey's relationship which from what I've seen is kind of danced around on the show but not really explored. I guess I wanted to explore it more. I'm glad you are enjoying where I'm going with it. C-chan96 I'm still confused as too which story you were reviewing lol. No seriously, thank-you for your support and your reviews. I love them even if they do get off track and a little off the wall at times. Hope you keep enjoying the story.  
  
Doug drove slowly away from the highschool and continued his patrol of the area. Things around Capeside were normally pretty quiet. The Capeside police force wasn't kept all too busy with calls, especially during the week. The weekends were a little busier when the local teenagers had more free time and very little to do to occupy themselves with.  
Today Doug Witter was glad for the relative quiet because it gave him time to think. His brother said that the bruise had come from running into something but Doug had his doubts. Pacey was far from the perfect son. Sometimes Doug thought Pacey went out of his way to piss their father off. He felt like Pacey went out of his way to portray the black sheep of the family role that everyone saw him in. Doug knew there was more to his brother than what most people saw. Most people didn't look past the act the Pacey hid behind.  
Besides a minor traffic accident on the outskirt of Capeside, the final hour of Doug's watch was uneventful. He parked the squad in front of the station and headed inside to write the report up for the traffic accident.  
After talking briefly to his friend, Ted Hipkins, who was on his way out of the station to go home to his wife Doug sat down at his desk and started writing up the report. It wasn't long until a shadow was cast over the desk. Doug knew who it was without glancing up.  
"Hello Dad," Doug said not looking up from the report he was writing.  
"Nice to see I have one son who doesn't shirk his responsibilities," John Witter commented.  
"Please don't start sir," Doug said. He hated it when his Dad started comparing him and Pacey. "How's Mom doing?" he asked trying to change the subject.  
"She's fine. She's been asking me when I'm going to drag you home to dinner again."  
"Tell her I'll be there Sunday," Doug said with a sigh. He hated going to his parents house for dinner for the same reason he had left the day after his eighteenth birthday. Things there were too tense. His Mom tried to act like everything was fine even if she had a new bruise on her face that even the make-up didn't disguise properly. Pacey made sarcastic remarks if he talked at all. Doug would much rather go over and see his mother on the days he pulled night watch so that his father would be at work.  
"She'll be happy to hear that," John said. "I'm going to head home. You're night watch tomorrow right."  
"Yes sir," Doug said. Even if he was the sheriff's son it still didn't keep him from having to pull his share of night watches, although in all honesty Doug didn't mind the night watch. There was something peaceful about being out at night when most other people were in bed.  
"Okay, then I'll see you Sunday," John Witter told his son putting a hand on his oldest son's shoulder. Doug Witter tensed up as the feel of his father's hand on his shoulder. It was a reflex that he couldn't stop no matter how hard he tired. Even though it had been fifteen years since the last time his father had hit him he had never forgotten how it felt and he doubted he ever would.  
Doug watched his father walk out the front door of the station. He knew he would definitely be keeping his eyes open on Sunday for anything out of the ordinary going on around his old home. As the station door closed Doug Witter went back to his report. The sooner he got it over with the sooner he could go home himself.  
  
It was almost eight o'clock by the time that Pacey walked up the front steps of his house. He had left the Leery's home after dinner but hadn't wanted to go home. Instead of going home he had spent the last hour and a half wandering around Capeside. His father was sitting in the arm chair in the living room watching tv when he walked through the front door. Pacey could hear the clanging of dishes in the kitchen and knew it was his mother.  
"Pacey is that you?" John Witter called out as he heard the front door open.  
"Yeah, pop. It's me," Pacey answered taking the few steps it took to get from the front door to the doorway of the living room.  
"Where have you been?" John Witter asked.  
"Over at the Leery's. I called Mom and told her I was going to eat dinner over there."  
"I called over there about a half hour ago," John Witter said standing up. "They said you left around six thirty. What have you been doing since then?" he asked walking toward his youngest son.  
"Out walking," Pacey said with a shrug. "What does it matter?"  
"It's a school night and I know you have homework and your grades aren't exactly stellar as we all know."  
"So," Pacey said. Almost as soon as the word was out of his mouth Pacey felt the sting of his father's hand against his face. It didn't come to any great surprise to him anymore. In fact he had been expecting it.  
"Don't get the attitude with me. Like it or not you're a part of this family and you will live by my rules until you are eighteen, and then if you want to go live on the streets and beg for food then be my guest," John Witter yelled at his son. "Do you understand me?"  
Pacey didn't answer his father, he simply turned around and headed for the steps. John Witter reached out and grabbed his son's wrist stopping Pacey's retreat. Pacey bit his lip to keep from crying out as his father had grabbed the wrist that was already sore. He wouldn't give his father the satisfaction of knowing that he had hurt him.  
"I asked if you understood me?" John Witter demanded not letting go of his grip on his son's wrist.  
"Yes Pop," Pacey said slowly and bitterly. "I understand you."  
John Witter let go of his son's wrist and Pacey fled up the steps. As he reached the top of the steps he hear the noise of something breaking against a wall downstairs. He was just glad that it was some inanimate object and not himself that got thrown against the wall this time.  
Pacey closed and locked his bedroom door behind him and turned on his radio. He thought about blaring the music but decided against it. He really had no desire to have any more interaction with his father for the night even the one sided yelling that was there normal interaction. He sat his back pack down on his bed and then laid down beside it.  
Pacey contemplated actually taking his books out of his back pack and doing some of his homework. The thought didn't last long though. Doing his homework was something his Dad would want him to do and making his Dad happy was the last thing he wanted to do right now.  
Pacey just laid there in bed listening to the music, trying to forget about his life. Trying to tune out the pain of his throbbing wrist. Before long he drifted off to sleep.  
  
"Got picked up by the police already huh, Pacey," Joey said as Pacey walked over to where she and Dawson were standing in front of the school on Friday morning. "Not a good start to the day."  
"Very funny Potter," Pacey told her without humor as his father drove away from the school. His Dad had insisted on driving Pacey to school and the whole way his Dad had chewed him out about the night before. It had ended in his father informing him that he was grounded for the weekend and that he was expected to be home when John Witter got home from work that evening.  
"Give him a break Joey," Dawson said in defense of his friend. Pacey looked like he had a rough morning. "Hey Pacey, Joey and I are going to see a movie at the theater tonight, want to join us?" Dawson asked as the three of them walked up the steps and into the highschool. Joey rolled her eyes. Spending the evening with Pacey wasn't exactly what she had in mind for the night. The two guys didn't notice her gesture.  
"Ah, actually I can't," Pacey said.  
"What did Pacey actually find a girl desperate enough to go out with him," Joey said in pretend shock.  
"As great as that would be," Pacey told her, "sadly it isn't true."  
"Then why not?" Dawson said choosing to ignore their bantering. It was normal for the two of them anyway.  
"My Dad sort of grounded me for the weekend. I'm suppose to go home right after school this afternoon."  
"Since when do you ever do what your father tells you to do," Joey said before Dawson could say anything.  
"Joey," Dawson said accusingly.  
"What, it's the truth," Joey said simply.  
"Yeah, well this time I think it would be a good idea to listen to him and hang around the house," Pacey said subconsciously rubbing his wrist. The pain still hadn't gone away and the bruising had actually looked worse this morning. The gesture was not lost on Dawson.  
"Did you hurt your wrist?" he asked his friend concerned. At Dawson's question Joey glanced over in Pacey's direction as he quickly stopped rubbing his wrist. Joey saw the bruising that Dawson had mentioned the night before. It did look pretty bad.  
"What?" Pacey said realizing what he had been doing. "No, I'm fine," Pacey said. "You know there's a book I need in my locker that I need to go get," he said quickly backing away from Dawson and Joey.  
"Pacey..." Dawson began but his friend disappeared in the crowd of students now in the hallway. "You're locker is the other way," he finished softly to no one in particular.  
"I think you may have a point, Dawson. Pacey's acting weird even for Pacey," Joey said the first serious thing she had said since Pacey had joined them.  
"Unfortunately, I don't know what to do," Dawson said still looking in the direction Pacey had disappeared.  
  
"Pacey going anywhere in particular?" Andie McPhee asked falling into step beside him as he walked down the steps of Capeside High that afternoon.  
"Yeah McPhee, actually I am. I'm heading home to begin my weekend sentence." Pacey told her wondering what it was she wanted. Andie hadn't exactly been the friendliest person toward him since they had broken up.  
"So what did you do wrong to deserve this punishment?" Andie asked him.  
"Took a walk," Pacey told her actually getting a little enjoyment out of the confused look she gave him. "It's a long story," he told her hoping that she would get the hint and give up on that line of conversation.  
"Is everything okay, Pacey?" Andie asked him. "I mean I know we're not like best friends here lately, okay I haven't even talked to you in a couple of weeks, but if something is wrong you know you can talk to me. I want to be there for you Pacey just like you were there for me when I needed you."  
Pacey shook his head with a smile on his face. He had forgotten how much he loved her chatter.  
"Have you been talking to Dawson, McPhee?" he asked her. It was kind of nice to know that there were people concerned about him but not wanting to get them involved. It was too dangerous.  
"Ah no," Andie told him as they walked down the road toward Pacey's house. "Actually I've been talking to your brother. Jack and I ran into him at the grocery store last night and he wanted to know if you had mentioned any problems to me. I told him I'd probably be the last person you would tell anything to but I told him I'd ask a few questions. I'm good at that." Andie paused and waited for Pacey to say something, anything. When he didn't she continued. "He seemed really worried about you Pacey."  
"Oh now there's a laugh," Pacey told her. "The only thing Doug worries about is being the perfect son and making me look bad."  
"That isn't true," Andie said quickly.  
"Look McPhee, my family life is very complicated, which I know you understand, but I'm dealing with it okay. My family thinks I'm no good. I can live with that. I don't need them. I don't need anyone, so just leave me alone okay." Pacey told her.  
Andie stopped walking. She didn't know what Pacey was hiding but she knew he was hiding something. He was being too defensive. His brother probably had every right to be concerned. Andie just hoped somebody would be able to reach him but it didn't look like it was going to be her. 


	4. Warning

Note: Okay, it's a short chapter but I figured I'd post it anyway as I need to decide which direction I want to take next. I have like three different versions of what I want to happen next on paper so now I just need to decide which one to go with. Lani-I knew what you meant and I'm glad I got you hooked.  
  
Tv-crazy- I'm glad you like the fact that I brought Andie in. I always did like her even though I didn't care to much for her and Pacey together.  
  
Lou- if this gets a little off of the tv-series you'll have to forgive me. I'm a relatively new fan to the show so I don't know everything about it. I'll also tell you right now that its going to take a big deviation from the show by the end so its going to end up being an AU fic. Joey isn't quite as mean though in this chapter.  
  
Lisa14- glad you like the story and thanks for reviewing.  
  
Rachel00- glad you like the way the characters are all interacting and I hope I'm still doing a good job in this chapter with that.  
  
C-chan96- oh it's a short review for you (that's okay I'll let you off the hook, lol). Seriously though, thanks for the review. I'm glad I'm keeping the characters close to what they are suppose to be. Doug I kind of took what little I have seen of him on the show and filled in the rest myself. I don't know what it is about his character but even though it's a bit part on the show I've always liked his character. Our Doug's aren't too far off from each other. Pacey still thinks his brother is the perfect dutiful son in my story too we just get a different perspective on him and not just Pacey's like in your story. I hope you like my character of Mrs. Witter in this chapter. Happy reading!  
  
Pacey was glad that Andie had stopped following him. He didn't want to hurt her any more than his outburst probably already had. He was slipping. He wasn't hiding things as well as he needed to and he had to hide the truth. It wasn't safe for his friends to know the truth and if the truth got out the respect the residents of Capeside had for the Witter family would be completely shattered. He was determined he wouldn't be the cause of that.  
As he neared his house he didn't see his Dad's police car in the driveway which was good. At least he had beaten his dad home. That was one thing that was going his way at least.  
Pacey walked up the front stairs and into his house. He could hear his Mom in the kitchen. He sat his backpack on the floor near the front door and headed for the kitchen.  
"Good afternoon Pacey," his Mom greeted him from her spot at the stove. She was stirring the soup she was cooking for dinner.  
"Hi Mom," he said giving her a kiss on the cheek. Even the make-up couldn't hide the fat lip his mother had. He couldn't help but wonder what his mother had ever seen in his father. How could she love someone who had no qualms about hitting her, about leaving bruises on her. His Mom deserved so much better than that.  
"How was school?"  
"Okay, I guess. Nothing special happened."  
"Doug's coming over for dinner on Sunday."  
"Ah wonderful! We can have another inspiring Witter family dinner," Pacey said sarcastically.  
"Pacey," his mother admonished.  
"I'm sorry Mom," he told her truthfully. His mother was the one person that Pacey knew loved him unconditionally. It didn't matter what he did, good or bad, she would still love him. He wanted something better for her than the life that she had right now.  
"How about setting the table for me," his mother said with a smile nodding toward the pile of plates and silverware she had sitting on the counter nearby..  
"Sure," he told her. He picked up the pile of dishes and headed for the dinning room with them. He was just finishing up when he heard the front door open and close. He knew it was his Dad coming home.  
He heard his Mom and Dad exchange greetings in the kitchen. His Dad sounded sincere for a change but Pacey knew it was only momentary. He knew his Dad could change at anytime. He couldn't help but wonder what the residents would think if they knew about the other side of their beloved Sheriff John Witter.  
Dinner was the normal tense affair which Pacey really wanted nothing to do with. He endured it for his mother's sake who thought dinner time was important quality time for the three of them. His parents chatted about his three sisters and Doug but thankfully stayed off the subject of him. Pacey just sat in his chair and ate silently trying to not be noticed by his Dad.  
When he was finished, Pacey excused himself and took his plate into the kitchen. He rinsed the plate, sat it in the sink and disappeared to the relative safety of his bedroom. He was determined to come out as little as possible this weekend.  
  
"Dawson, I don't think that's a good idea," Joey told him as she started walking toward the Leery home with him and Jen.  
"Come on Joey. The worst thing that could happen is the Mr. Witter tells me he doesn't want me to see Pacey because he's grounded and I go home," Dawson told her. "He's the sheriff he isn't going to do anything to me."  
"Then how did Pacey hurt his wrist?" Joey asked him, wanting him to come up with another explanation than the one they were dwelling on right now. Dawson didn't say anything. She had a point.  
"Are the two of you saying what I think you are saying?" Jen said trying to make sense of the conversation she was hearing.  
"Now let's not get carried away," Dawson said before Joey could answer Jen's question. "Pacey is insisting that everything is fine. Maybe it was just an accident that he hurt his wrist."  
"And he's hiding it why?" Joey asked. "You know, Pacey is proud but even he wouldn't try hiding an injury if he simply tripped down the steps or something."  
Before anyone could say anything else a car slowed and pulled up beside them. Dawson, Joey and Jen glanced over to see a patrol car next to them. Behind the wheel was Deputy Doug Witter.  
"Hi Doug," Dawson said easily.  
"Hi Dawson," Doug replied. "Have you guys seen my brother?"  
"Not since this morning," Dawson said. "He's been avoiding me most of the day."  
"I saw him and Andie walking in the direction of his house," Jen said trying to helpful even though she really wanted to know what was going on.  
"Okay, thanks," Doug said.  
"Doug, please tell Dawson that going over to see Pacey is a bad idea if he's grounded," Joey said hoping that if Dawson wouldn't listen to her then maybe he would listen to Doug. She wasn't expecting the change she saw in Doug's face though as he addressed Dawson.  
"Dawson, Joey's right," Doug said in a matter of fact tone, his face now very serious. "If Pacey's been grounded the best thing is to just stay away from the house. That goes for all of you," Doug said looking at the two girls and meeting their eyes. "I want you to promise you won't go over there."  
"Sure."  
"Yeah, I promise."  
"Of course," were the three replies he got.  
"I got to get back on patrol," Doug said. "See you three around." The three teens watched as the squad car pulled away.  
"Something is definately going on," Dawson said as the three of them started walking again.  
"Do you think there is anything we could do?" Joey asked. She didn't get an answer. She guessed her friends were at as much of a loss as she was in knowing what to do.  
"Will some please tell me straight up what it is you guys are talking about," Jen finally said. She thought she had a pretty good idea but this was something she really needed to hear to believe it.  
Dawson and Joey looked at her than at each other. Jen could tell they were trying to decide which one of them was going to tell her what was going on. Jen didn't care who it was as long as someone did so. In the end it was Dawson who started filling her in on everything that had been going on since the afternoon before. 


	5. Missed oppurtunity

Note: Okay all, here's the update. After much debating with myself I finally decided which way I wanted to go with this story. Hope you enjoy it.  
  
Rachel00- glad that your are enjoying the story so much and the wait is over (at least until you finish reading this chapter, lol.  
  
C-Chan96- First thank-you very much for updating Shattered Glass and especially One Way Ticket. I really enjoyed them but if you read the reviews you already know that. I'm glad that you like the relationship between Pacey and his Mom. Everyone needs someone they can count on. I hope you like the direction I decided to take the story in.  
  
Jennifer-morie- Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I think you will like Doug's actions as the story progresses but that's all I'm saying right now about that.  
  
Pacey sat down at his desk and took out his math book. If he was going to be in his room all weekend he might as well surprise a few people and actually do some of his school work. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.  
It wasn't long before he heard his Dad start yelling. Upstairs, and with the door closed he couldn't really hear what he was yelling about but it didn't really much matter. It was like an evening routine anymore. Eat dinner, yell and throw a few things at the wall. Pacey just figured it was his way of dealing with the stress of the job.  
Pacey heard the faint sound of glass braking.  
"And the throwing begins," Pacey muttered to himself. He was about to reach over and turn on his radio when he heard the front door opened. At first Pacey thought one of his parents was leaving the house. He soon found out that wasn't the case.  
"Hello, anyone home," Pacey faintly heard his brother call. Pacey got up and quietly crept out into the hallway. Despite his desire to stay out of his father's way, P acey's curiosity was getting the better of him.  
Pacey walked down the hallway and stood at the banister looking down into the entryway. Doug was still standing just inside of the front door, closing it behind him. John Witter walked out of the kitchen.  
"Hi son," John said. "Aren't you suppose to be working?"  
"I'm on a meal break," Doug answered his father easily. "Where's mother."  
Before John Witter could answer his wife walked out of the kitchen with a plate and dish towel in her hands. "I'm putting the dishes away," she said drying the plate as she was talking.  
"I thought I heard something break," Doug said casually.  
"Oh, I dropped a plate. Clumsy me," Mrs. Witter told her oldest son. Doug didn't buy it. She was covering. He could tell but he chose to let it go. He hadn't come over here to cause problems.  
"So Mom, what time were you going to have dinner on Sunday?" Doug asked instead.  
"Around two o'clock," Mrs. Witter replied casually. "I'm so happy you'll be able to make it. You haven't been over for dinner in quite awhile."  
"Yeah, sorry about that," Doug said apologetically. "I've been busy." Busy avoiding the place Doug added to himself. He glanced up to the second floor landing and saw Pacey standing there almost out of sight. Pacey quickly disappeared when he realized his brother had seen him.  
"Can I make you a sandwich or something for right now?" Mrs. Witter asked her eldest son.  
"Yeah, sure," Doug said seeing it as a reason to hang around the place a little longer. As his mom disappear back into the kitchen he said, "I'm going to go say hello to Pacey," Doug said to his Dad as he headed for the steps.  
Doug took the steps upstairs two at a time. He made his way down the hallway and knocked on his brother's door. There was no answer.  
"Pacey, I know you're in there open the door," Doug called. He heard his brother's footsteps come toward the door and he heard the sound of the lock being undone. Pacey didn't open the door however, but as Doug heard his brother's footsteps retreat he opened the door and walked in.  
The only light on in the room was coming from the bedside lamp. Pacey was sitting down on the side of the bed looking toward the door. Doug took a couple of steps into the room and then closed the door behind him.  
"So you're making house calls now to tell me what a loser I am," Pacey said to his brother sarcastically.  
Doug shook his head and looked briefly up at the ceiling. Just once he wished his brother wouldn't hide behind the sarcasm. For once Doug was determined not to make a smartalec comment back.  
"Pacey, please tell me what is going on. That wrist looks worse than it did yesterday and even your friends know something is going on," Doug said looking at his brother. Pacey looked down at the floor.  
"You wouldn't believe me anyways," Pacey muttered.  
"Try me Pacey," Doug said hearing his brother's remark. Doug sat down on the bed next to his brother. He had his suspicions about what was going on but he didn't voice them. He didn't want anybody to say that he had put ideas into his brother's head.  
Pacey looked over at his brother. Doug looked genuinely concerned but something inside him wouldn't let him believe that. His brother had never before shown any concern for him. He had joined in with the rest of the family in telling Pacey how pathetic he was. That he couldn't do anything right.  
"Joey and I got in a fight. I went to punch her and hit a tree instead," Pacey told his brother, still with a sarcastic edge to his voice. He was determined to prove that he was right. He knew his brother would never believe that story.  
"I give up," Doug said throwing his hands up in frustration.  
"See told you, that you wouldn't believe me," Pacey told his brother triumphantly.  
"Your on your own. I don't know how to help someone who doesn't want to be helped," Doug said standing up and heading for the door.  
"Yeah, walk away. You're good at that. It's what you always do," Pacey said bitterly. As soon as he said those words he felt bad about it. He saw the hurt in his brother's eyes as Doug left the room.  
Pacey laid back on his bed and put his hands over his face. What had he just done. His brother had just attempted to help him out and Pacey had thrown that attempt right back in his face. Pacey knew he was in over his head. He needed help but for some reason he kept pushing that help away.  
He heard the front door close and Pacey got up and walked over to his window that faced the front of the house. He watched as his brother got into his squad car and pulled out of the driveway. Pacey felt completely alone. He expected to hear his father's footsteps coming up the stairs and was relieved when he didn't. Pacey walked back over to his bed and laid done.  
It wasn't long before he heard his father yelling again. Pacey tried to ignore it. He had lived all his life with it. He should be use to it by now. But then he heard his Mom's scream. Pacey gave up trying to ignore what was going on and headed downstairs. He was probably going to regret getting involved but he couldn't just sit here in his room while his Dad took his anger out on his mother.  
  
Not long after leaving his parent's house a call came in for an accident on the outskirt of town. Doug turned the lights and sirens on and sped up. He was glad the call had come in. He needed something to get his mind off what had just taken place.  
It was a multi car accident and it took Doug and his fellow Capeside police officers a while to sort out what happened and get the scene cleared up. By the time they were done the frustrating conversation with his younger brother had been completely forgotten.  
Doug got back in his squad car and headed back to his patrol area. It was late now, and even though it was a Friday night the town of Capeside was quiet, especially on the residential roads he was driving.  
Movement on his left caught Doug's eye. He pulled the car to the side of the road and put on the four-way flashers. He looked into the night trying to make out what the movement was. In the pale moonlight, Doug could make out a stumbling figure off in the distance.  
"It's probably some drunk," Doug muttered as he reached over to the passengers seat and grabbed the flashlight from where he had tossed it earlier that night when he left the accident scene. Doug shined the light toward the figure trying to tell who it was. He had been a police officer long enough to recognize most of the year-round residents of Capeside. As he shined the light on the figure though he was shocked to see who it was. Doug took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car.  
"Pacey?" Doug called out as he walked toward the person who was now leaning up against a tree. Doug had no idea what his brother was doing out at this time of night especially when he was suppose to be grounded.  
Pacey didn't answer his brother. As he got closer though Doug could see the new bruises that were forming on Pacey's face and neck. Doug quickened his pace. As he reached his brother's side he could hear his labored breathing.  
"Pacey, what happened?" Doug asked his brother.  
"It's dark... I walked... into a tree..." Pacey said into between labored breaths.  
"Pace, this isn't funny," Doug said severely. He was mad that his brother was trying to make a joke out of something this serious. "Come on, I'll take you to the hospital," Doug said seeing that he wasn't going to get much out of Pacey. He reached out to take his brother's arm but Pacey tensed up and pulled away.  
"Leave me alone," Pacey said. He pushed himself away from the tree and tried to walk away from his brother. It hurt to move. Every breath was painful. He wasn't even sure how he had managed to get away from his father or where exactly he was at. He had just ran in some direction for as long as he could. But he couldn't go any further. Pacey felt his knees give out on him and knew he was going to collapse onto the ground.  
It didn't happen though. Doug was there and caught his brother as Pacey's knees gave out on him. Without saying anything, Doug picked his brother up and headed toward the squad car with him. Pacey leaned his head on his brother's shoulder. He was exhausted and he hurt but suddenly, for the first time in a long time, he felt safe. Even after what he had said to him a few hours ago, Doug was still here for him.  
Doug put his brother in the passenger seat of the squad and then got in himself. He flipped the lights and sirens on as he made a u-turn and headed down the road back the way he had just come.  
"Adam-3 to dispatch," Doug said grabbing his radio. "Inform Memorial that I'm bringing in a patient. Victim has been severly beaten, there are bruises to neck, hand and face that I can see, breathing is labored and victim is semi-concious," Doug said glancing over quickly at his brother whose head was leaning up against the window and his eyes were closed.  
"10-4, Adam-3," came the voice of the woman working dispatch that night. 


	6. A Witter family secret

Note: I just want to say that I don't know much about Pacey's sisters except I think there was three of them and I know I've never seen them on the show so I sort of made them up along with there name and ages so if it doesn't fit in exactly with the show that is why.  
  
Rachel00 - glad to see that you are enjoying this story so much. I really appreciated your kind words in the last review and hope you like this chapter just as much.  
  
C-Chan96- Thanks for the review and the laugh. I enjoy your reviews so much. I'm glad you like the scene where Doug finds Pacey. I thought it was sentimental myself and thought it would be a nice touch. Kodak moment didn't come to mind but I guess it kind of is. You'll get to see in this chapter a little more about what is going to happen with John Witter although I might also have caused more questions but you'll find out about that as you read this chapter.  
  
Thank-you to vale and lou for reviewing too. I really enjoy knowing that people are reading and enjoying the story.  
  
When Doug pulled the squad car up outside of the hospital, there was a team waiting with a gurney. Doug put the car in park and got out himself. He watched as the team of nurses and doctors carefully got his brother out of the car and onto the gurney.  
"Doug, what happened?" Mitch Barnes asked walking over to the young officer as the med team disappeared into the hospital with there patient.  
"I need to talk to you in private, sir" Doug said his eyes not leaving the hospital doors. This wasn't going to be easy but he had to do it. He knew he didn't want to go through another night like this again.  
"Okay," Barnes said seeing that something was bothering the young officer. "Go ahead inside. I'll park your squad and then meet you inside," he told Doug. Barnes waited until Doug started walking toward the hospital and then walked to the patrol car and got behind the wheel.  
After parking the car Barnes walked into the hospital. He looked around for Doug but didn't see him anywhere. Mitch headed for the nurses' station to find out where his officer had gotten too.  
"Hey Mitch," Elaine Jennings, a nurse at the hospital, called from where she was standing, "I told Doug he could wait down in the private waiting room down the hall on the left."  
"Okay thanks Elaine," Mitch told her. "Has someone called Cheif Witter yet."  
"I'm not sure, but I'll check into it for you."  
"Thanks," Mitch said as he headed down the hallway toward the private waiting room. He was glad that he didn't have to be the one to make that phone call. His boss' relationship with his younger son was one that Mitch just didn't want to get involved in. He had heard reports from some of the officers of arguments Sheriff Witter had with Pacey while on duty and even a report that Pacey had hit his father. Mitch did what he had told his officers to do, unless someone was clearly in danger - ignore it. All teenagers argued with there parents and even though Mitch didn't agree with it himself, parents hit kids as a method of discipline. It was the way things were.  
He walked into the waiting room and found Doug standing at the window, talking on his cell phone. Mitch tried not to listen to the conversation but he could still hear the frustration in Doug's voice.  
"Look Kerry, just call Amber and Sarah and let them know what happened okay." Doug said into the phone. There was a slight pause. "Bye," Doug said frustrated. He ended the call and stuck the phone back into his pocket.  
"So what happened out there tonight Witter?" Barnes asked him, trying to get the conversation started and he wanted to figure out what to tell Cheif Witter when he showed up to see how his son was doing.  
"I don't know for sure," Doug said. "I found Pacey out along Foghorn road. At first I thought it was just some drunk stumbling along. When I saw how bad he was hurt I headed here."  
"Then why did you ask for me to meet you here?" Barnes asked him. He couldn't even guess what was going on but he knew Doug had a reason.  
"Because I think I know who beat Pacey up like that," Doug said finally turning away from the window. "I think it was our father."  
"Woah, hold it. You know that is a serious charge," Barnes said. He wasn't sure what he had expected Doug to say but that definitely wasn't it.  
"You don't think I know that, sir," Doug told him.  
"Do you have any proof," Barnes said.  
"No not really just suspicions. I've seen some bruises on Pacey lately but he's been telling me he ran into something or acting like he hasn't notice them before. And something just doesn't feel right when I'm over there."  
"I'm not willing to put my career and your father's career on the line because of your suspicions," Mitch told Doug before he could say anything else. "Not to mention your own career."  
"It wouldn't be the first time its happened either," Doug said softly more to himself but Barnes overheard him.  
"What do you mean by that?" Barnes asked. Doug turned back toward the window. Doug took a deep breath before answering the question. He had long ago sworn to himself that he would never ever tell anyone what he was about to tell his supervisor.  
"My father use to hit me and slam me into walls for any little reason he could find - from grades to what I wanted to do when I grew up," Doug said quietly. In his head, memories of those time flash by. Things he had thought he had long ago put behind him. "I was nine years old when I made the decision that the only way to avoid that was to do everything exactly as my father wanted. I threw myself into my schoolwork, gave up my dreams, and did everything my Dad wanted. I never again stood up to him even when my Dad started taking things out on my Mom and later Pacey. I ignored it. I tuned it out. I turned my back on my mother, sisters, and brother." By this time Doug was crying again. "While I gave into my Dad, my brother's way of dealing with it was to stand up to him."  
Mitch Barnes didn't know what to say or do. Abuse was never easy to deal with but when it dealt with people you knew, people you respected than it got even worse. Mitch didn't think even for a moment that Doug was lying about it but there was still limitations on what he would be able to do. What had happened to him had been years ago and while it would add credibility to Pacey's case, if that was indeed what had happen, it wouldn't stand by itself. It was up to Pacey, he had to come forward about what had happened tonight. Mitch knew that was easier said then done. Pacey wasn't exactly the perfect kid under any standards and there was that scandal with Miss Jacobs, his English teacher, last year. After something like that whatever Pacey said was going to be regarded with less credibility.  
"Doug, we need to take this slow," Mitch told him putting a hand on his shoulder. "I want to at least have Pacey's side of the story before I make any move." Before anything else could be said another person entered the room.  
"Have you heard anything yet?" John Witter asked as he walked into the waiting room the nurse had shown him to.  
"No, nothing yet John," Mitch told him glancing over at Doug who was wiping the tears away. Doug was normally level headed but giving the circumstances Mitch wasn't going to count on that tonight. He knew it was up to him to keep anything from escalating tonight. Doug turned around and looked at his father, his face void of emotion.  
"What happened to your hand, Dad?" Doug asked. Mitch looked at John Witter and noticed the bandage around John's right knuckles. There was some blood showing through the bandage.  
"Oh, I ran my hand into an end table," John said.  
"Did mother come?" Doug asked not challenging his dad's explanation even though he didn't believe it.  
"No, she wasn't feeling well," John said easily.  
'Yeah I bet', Doug thought to himself. Before the situation could get anymore awkward Dr. Howard walked into the waiting room.  
"How is he?" Doug asked immediately.  
"Let's sit down," Dr. Howard said indicating the couches and chairs in the room. He sat down in a nearby chair, and waited for the other three men to take seats before he continued. "Pacey has suffered a mild concussion, several broken ribs, a severely sprained left wrists and multiple bruises. Overall he's actually very lucky that the injuries weren't more severe. I'm going to admit him overnight for observation and we'll see in the morning how he is and whether or not we'll release him."  
"Can I see him?" John Witter asked playing the part of the concerned father.  
"Yeah sure. He's been drifting in and out, partly due to the medication we have him on though. I'll have a nurse take you up to his room," Dr. Howard told Mr Witter. The group stood up and left the waiting room. Dr. Howard motioned to a nurse who came over. The nurse led John Witter toward the elevator but Doug and Mitch Barnes hung back.  
"Is there something I can do for you?" Dr. Howard asked the two of them.  
"Has Pacey said anything about what happened?" Mitch asked him.  
"No. Nothing." Dr. Howard told him. "He doesn't seem to want to talk about it and right now isn't the time to press him on the matter. I know the police will probably want to question him but I would appreciate it if you held off for right now." Mitch nodded.  
"Doctor, there was blood on Pacey's shirt near the collar. Do you know where it came from?" Doug asked. Mitch was curious as to where Doug was going with this.  
"No. There were no open cuts on Pacey. The blood had to come from somewhere else," Dr. Howard said. As he heard those words though he caught on to what Doug was getting at. John Witter's bandage knuckles. If he had grabbed Pacey's shirt by the collar then he could have left the blood.  
"Can I have the shirt? I want to have some test done to see if we can find a match for the blood," Mitch said to Dr. Howard.  
"I don't see why not. I'll have a nurse arrange for it," Dr. Howard said is there anything else. When the two men shook there heads Dr. Howard walked away.  
"Doug, go see your brother," Mitch said after Dr. Howard had left nodding toward the elevator where the nurse was still waiting. "Under the circumstances I think it would be better if your father isn't alone with him."  
Doug nodded and headed toward the elevator. Mitch Barnes watched the Witters disappear and gave a huge sigh. It was going to be one long night. The first thing he needed to do thought was to get someone out here to stand outside Pacey's hospital room door. He didn't know completely what was going on but he wasn't going to take any chances.  
  
Doug Witter walked into the hospital room his father and him had been showed to. He took a couple of steps into the room and stopped. Doug had thought his brother had looked bad when he had first found him but he still wasn't prepared. Under the lights of the room, Pacey looked even worse. The left side of his face was almost completely bruised and swollen. There were the buises on his hands that Doug had already seen but the bruises continued up Pacey's arms. Doug didn't even want to think about the bruises that were still hidden.  
Doug suddenly had an urge to slug his Dad right there but he restrained himself. That wouldn't accomplish anything. In fact, it would probably only make things worse. Instead, Doug walked over to the bedside, pulled a chair close and sat down. He gently took one of his brother's hands in his. He didn't say anything, not with his Dad still in the room.  
John Witter didn't stay long. He walked over to the opposite side of the bed that Doug was sitting at and just stood there for a few minutes. He then silently walked out of the room. It didn't really surprise Doug any and under the circumstances he was actually happy to see him go.  
Doug sat silently at his brother's side for quite awhile after his father left. He didn't know what to say or even if he should say anything. He shouldn't have left like he had earlier that evening. He had known something was going on at home but he didn't do anything about it. His brother was right. He had turned his back on the situation just like he had always done. This was all his fault. If he had done what he should have done, what an older brother was suppose to do, then none of this would have never happened. Doug had always thought Pacey was stupid for standing up to their father. He knew now that Pacey had been the stronger of the two of them.  
"Hey don't cry," Doug heard a soft voice say. He looked toward the bed to see that Pacey had opened his eyes. "It's not like I'm dying," he said in his usual flippant tone.  
"Pacey, I'm sorry," Doug said softly. "I shouldn't have left like I did earlier tongiht."  
"Doug, this isn't your fault," Pacey said cutting his brother off. "I'm the one that pushed you away. I just couldn't accept the fact that you wanted to help."  
"I've never exactly been there for you before Pacey."  
"You weren't the only one Doug," Pacey said.  
Doug thought about his conversation earlier with Kerry. His sister, who was the older than all of them, didn't seem at all concern that Pacey had been hurt. All three of his sisters had left Capeside as soon as they could. Doug figured that was there way of dealing with everything that was going on.  
"We're going to get through this Pacey but you've got to let us help you," Doug told him.  
"Just let it go Doug."  
"Why, so this can happen again."  
"It won't. Tonight was a mistake. I won't make that same mistake again," Pacey told his brother.  
"Pace, you can't just let this go," Doug said. "It's not going to go away."  
"You don't even know what's going on."  
"Then tell me."  
"It will only cause more problems," Pacey said. He still had his doubts as to whether or not anyone would believe him. The only possible scenario he saw happening was his Dad getting angry at him for spreading 'lies' about him. It wasn't worth the risk. "Please Doug, just let it go."  
"I can't do that Pacey," Doug told him. "Not this time."  
Before either of them could say anything else their was a knock at the door. Doug got up and walked over to the door and opened it. His friend and co-worker, Ted Hipkins, was standing at the door with Mitch Barnes right behind him. Behind them, Doug saw one of his co-workers standing against the wall like he had been there for awhile.  
"Doug, we need to talk to you," Ted said. Doug could tell by his voice that whatever it was it was serious. "Out here," Ted said softly.  
"Okay, one moment," Doug said. Doug walked back over to his brother's side. "Pacey I'll be right back," Doug told him. "This won't go away by itself, think about that."  
Doug walked back out of the room and followed Ted and Mitch down the hallway to a nearby employee lounge that was empty.  
"What's going on?" Doug asked them when neither of them started talking right away. Suddenly he had a feeling he didn't want to know. 


	7. The bad news

Note: Thanks for the compliment lou. I really appreciate it. Thanks for the review Rachel00. I hope this update was quick enough for you. Well C-chan96 I let you know what the police officers are going to tell Doug seeing as you really want to know. I made you speechless, yippee. Let's see if I can keep you that way. Hope you all like this chapter.  
  
Ted and Mitch exchanged glances, trying to decide which of them should be the one to tell Doug what had happened. Doug looked between the two of them wishing one of them would just open their mouth already. In the end, it was Ted that broke the silence in the room.  
"Doug the paramedics brought your mother in a little while ago but they weren't able to help her," Ted said softly, part of him wishing that he had let the doctor break the news but also knowing that if their places were reversed, he would rather hear the bad news from a friend than a doctor. "I'm sorry, Doug but she passed away."  
Doug stood there in shock. He couldn't believe it. He had been over there not too long ago making plans for Sunday and she was fine. This couldn't be happening to him. Doug turned toward the wall and leaned his head up against it. He wanted to cry but the tears just wouldn't come. This was turning out to be the night from hell.  
"What happened?" Doug finally asked breaking the awkward silence that had again filled the room. He turned and faced his two co-workers again. This time it was Mitch who spoke up.  
"Somehow she had fallen down the steps. The paramedics started CPR when they got there but it didn't help. The injuries from the fall were two extensive. It was your dad that called it in. He said that when he had arrived back at the house he found the front door forced open and he walked in to find your mother at the bottom of the stairs," Mitch told him. It sounded to Doug as if Mitch was trying to convince himself that was the truth as much as he was trying to convince Doug. "Several antiques were missing so it appears as if it was a robbery."  
"Any evidence to back up his story?" Doug asked softly. He wanted so much to believe the robbery story because the alternative was just too horrible to think about but with Pacey lying down the hallway in a hospital bed Doug couldn't find it in himself to give his father the benefit of the doubt.  
"We're looking into it," Mitch said in answer to Doug's question. Ted looked from his friend to his boss trying to figure out what was going on. "Believe me Doug, there will be a full investigation into the matter."  
"Is there something else going on here that I don't know about?" Ted asked. Doug stayed quiet. It was up to Barnes to answer that question.  
"I can't say right now, Hipkins," Barnes answered officially. Ted let it go at that. He knew something else was going on and the fact that Barnes was keeping it quiet, Ted knew it was serious.  
"Ted can you do me a favor?" Doug asked his friend.  
"Yeah, sure anything," Ted answered.  
"Call Kerry and tell her what happened," Doug said. He knew he should probably be the one to make the phone call but after the conversation earlier that night he couldn't take another conversation with her. Besides he still had to go break the news to his brother.  
"Sure," Ted said not questioning the request. "What about your other sisters?"  
"Just call Kerry. She can tell the other two," Doug told him.  
"Okay," Ted said leaving the room to go make the phone call.  
"Have you been able to talk to Pacey at all yet," Mitch asked Doug when Ted had left the room.  
"Yeah, but he's not willing to talk about what happened. He wants me to just let it go," Doug told him. "I think he's scared."  
"Of not being believed."  
"That and I don't think he thinks we'll be able to protect him," Doug said. He thought about what he had just been told. "And I'm starting to think he might be right," Doug said softly.  
"Doug there is now indication that your father is involved in what happened to your mother. Let's not go jumping to conclusions. You're Mom may have just very well been a victim of a robbery."  
"I hope that's the case," Doug told him. "I really do." There was a slight pause and then Doug said, "please excuse me, I have to go break the news to Pacey."  
Mitch watched as Doug Witter slowly walked out of the lounge. It had been a rough night for the young officer and unfortunately Mitch didn't see it getting any better with the coming sunrise. Mitch walked into the hallway and after a few words to the officer on guard outside of Pacey's door slowly headed toward the elevator. He was going to head out to the Witter residence and see how things were going with the investigation out there.  
  
After going down to the ER to see his mother's body, somehow he hadn't been able to believe she was actually gone until he had seen her lifeless body for himself, he slowly made his way back upstairs to his brother's room. He took the stairs wanting to put off the task as long as possible.  
Doug slowly walked down the hallway and opened the door to his brother's room slowly. He was not looking forward to doing this but he knew it had to be done. Doug knew he couldn't let someone else tell Pacey because he knew how close he had been to their mother. Their mother had really been the only family member who had been there for Pacey no matter how bad he had managed to screw things up.  
"Doug what's wrong?" Pacey asked as soon as Doug walked through the door. Doug slowly closed the door behind him stalling for time. After closing the door Doug walked slowly over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
"Pacey, I don't know how to tell you this," Doug began fighting back the tears that were now threatening to come. Suddenly nothing he could think of saying sounded right. "Apparently, there was a robbery at the house and somehow she fell down the steps. Pace, Mom's dead."  
"You're lying," Pacey said giving his brother a shove. Unprepared for that reaction, Doug fell off the floor onto the floor. He knew his brother wasn't going to take it well but he also hadn't expected his brother not to believe him.  
"I wish I were," Doug told him softly standing up and taking a few steps toward the bed.  
"Stay away from me," Pacey yelled at his brother, tears falling down his cheeks. Doug stopped not wanting to upset his brother any more than he already was.  
"Pacey, don't shut me out. Not this time. We need each other."  
"No, I don't need you. You were never there before and I don't need you now. She was the only one that was ever there for me. I wish you were the one to die," Pacey yelled at his brother.  
"Pacey, I know you don't mean that," Doug said softly. He knew his brother was hurting and not thinking straight but his words still hurt. He wasn't going away that easily this time though.  
"Yes I do." Pacey said. Doug took the last few steps toward his brother. This time he was prepared for his brother's resistance. Doug reached out and put his arms around his brother who tried to resist him but Doug was stronger than Pacey even when Pacey wasn't hurt and he was ready for Pacey's resistance this time.  
"It's not fair," Pacey said through his tears still trying to push Doug away.  
"No it isn't," Doug said softly trying to calm his brother down. Pacey was saying something else but Doug couldn't make out what he was saying through his tears. It wasn't long though before Doug felt his brother relax and stop resisting him. Doug pulled his brother closer. Before long he could feel tears running down his own face. Doug couldn't believe this was happening to them. It all seemed like a bad dream that he wanted to wake up from. 


	8. Finding out

"What are you looking for Dawson?" Joey asked climbing through the window early Saturday morning. Dawson was pulling things out of drawers and off shelves. The room was a mess. He had the tv on but Joey doubted that he was actually paying any attention to it.  
"A videotape. I need it for a film project."  
"Kind of sudden isn't it?"  
"Remember that project I told you was due next Wednesday that I had no ideas for."  
"Yeah," Joey said cautiously sitting down on the bed which seemed to be one of the few places in the room not covered with stuff. "What you decide to do an instructional video on how to clean up a bedroom."  
"Cute," Dawson said not giving up on his shirt. "No I got this great idea last night and I need the tapes I shot last summer of us just hanging out together."  
"Why?" Joey asked completely lost.  
"Well the project was to do something that shows something that is important to us. Well I'm going to do mine on friendships. What's more important than your friends?"  
"Ah, dysfunctional friendships. That's going to make a wonderful school project Dawson,"Joey told him. Dawson shot her a look. "Oh come on Dawson, Jen and I don't exactly get along, you've dated both her and me, Pacey and I would rather trade banter than talk, Andie and Pacey have dated and broken up, and if Jack wasn't gay I think we might have been able to add him and Jen into our wonderful group of pairings."  
"They're not dysfunctional Joey. The friendships we all have with each other are just...complicated," Dawson told her.  
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Joey said with a smile as Dawson went back to tearing his room apart in search of the missing tapes. Joey glanced toward the tv as the news team broke into the show that was on with a news alert. Joey instantly recognized the house that was on the television screen. "Hey Dawson, turn the tv up," Joey said urgently as he was standing right next to the tv and the remote was no where to be seen.  
Confused Dawson reached over and turned up the volume on the tv without really looking at it and went back to looking for his tape but then the newscasters voice caught his attention.  
"You are looking at live footage of the Witter residence in Capeside Massachutes where the Capeside police are conducting a full investigation into an apparent robbery that took place last night," the newscaster said as Dawson gave up his search and sat down on the bed next to his friend Joey. "Right now, what we know very little and the police are not volunteering much information. What we do know for sure that there is at least one confirmed death. Mrs. Regina Witter was killed in the apparent robbery last night."  
"Oh my God," Dawson said in disbelief as the newscaster went on to inform the listeners that John Witter was sheriff of Capeside and other information that Dawson and Pacey already knew.  
"Dawson," Joey and Dawson heard Mitch Leery call from out in the hallway. "Have you seen the news?" Mitch asked popping his head into the room.  
"Yeah, Dad we just heard," Dawson said unable to take his eyes away from the tv screen.  
"Come on you two," Mitch Leery said, "I'll drive you down to the station and we'll see what we can find out." Mitch knew his son and Joey would be worried about their friend. In all honesty he was worried too. Though he had never cared to much for John Witter, Mitch had always liked Pacey and looked at him as a second son much like he saw Joey as a daughter.  
Dawson stood up turned the tv off, and followed his Dad downstairs to the car with Joey right behind him.  
  
Dawson led his father and Joey quickly down the hallway toward the room they had been told Pacey was in. They had ran into Ted Hipkins at the station who although wouldn't give them any details, had told them that Pacey was at Memorial Hospital. The trio had left the station and headed for the hospital, Dawson extremely irritated that his dad was doing the speed limit.  
"I'm sorry, but you can't go in there," a police officer, who Dawson could not remember his name, said as they approached Pacey's room.  
"But the nurse told me that he was allowed visitors," Dawson said in protest.  
"Pacey's being questioned right now," the officer told him. "Why don't you three go back down the hall and have a seat in the waiting area. Someone will come get you when you can see him."  
"Questioned," Joey said confused. "What is going on?"  
"I'm sorry, I can't say. Please, go wait in the waiting area before I need to call security to remove you."  
"Come on you two," Mitch said putting a hand on each of their shoulders and leading them back down the hallway.  
  
"Pacey, I need you to tell me what happened last night," Mitch Barnes said quietly looking at the teenager who was dressed in his own clothes now and sitting on the edge of the bed as he was just waiting for Dr. Howard to come back and give him the okay to leave the hospital. "Who beat you up, Pacey?" Mitch asked again when Pacey didn't volunteer any information.  
Pacey looked over at his brother who was standing against the wall. Part of Pacey still wanted to just drop this because he still doubted as to whether or not anyone was going to believe him. One look at his brother though, and Pacey knew that this time Doug wasn't going to let it go. Pacey was starting to wonder if Doug hadn't already told the Deputy Sheriff Barnes something.  
Pacey looked from his brother to the third person in the room. Mrs. Travers, a state social worker that had been called in. She looked back at Pacey sympathetically and Pacey couldn't help but wonder how much she got paid to pretend she really cared about complete strangers.  
"My Dad did," Pacey said softly looking down at the floor. He waited for Barnes to tell him to stop lying and tell him the truth but it didn't happen. Pacey looked up from the floor toward the officer but Pacey didn't see the look he was expecting, the look most people gave him when he tried to say anything. The look that told Pacey that the person didn't believe him.  
"Exactly what happened Pacey?" Mitch asked.  
"It wasn't too long after Doug had left that I started hearing my Dad yelling at my Mom again. At first I just stayed in my room and ignored it but then I heard my Mom yelling for him to stop. I left my room and went downstairs and saw my Dad hitting my Mom. I yelled at him to stop it and he turned on me. He punched me a couple of times, yelling at me to mind my own business. I took a couple of swings at him but then he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shoved me against the wall telling me that I was a loser and a disgrace to the family," Pacey looked out the window not wanting to remember the events but wanting to tell them everything that happened now that he had started. He knew that if he didn't continue know he might never get the courage to come forward again. "When he let go of my shirt, I went down to the floor from the pain," Pacey continued in a shaky voice. "He started kicking me in the ribs and I remember Mom yelling at him to stop it, and he turned back on her." Pacey stopped talking then trying to keep from crying.  
Doug left his place against the wall and sat down next to his brother. Doug put his arm gently across his brothers shoulders and pulled him close. No one said anything waiting for Pacey to continue when he felt ready.  
"I got to my feet and ran. God help me, I ran and left her there alone," Pacey said the tears now falling down his face. After years of hating Doug for not standing up to there father he had ended up doing the same thing Doug had always done - leave.  
"It's not your fault Pacey," Doug said softly to his brother.  
"Pacey, is that the only time your father ever hit you?" Mrs. Travers asked. Pacey shook his head no in answer to her question.  
"And the bruise Doug noticed the other day?" Mitch asked. "Was that from your father?"  
"Yes," Pacey said.  
Mitch took a deep breath. He was not looking forward to the task he now had to do. "I've got enough information for now," he said. "Doug I don't want you or your brother to leave the hospital until I give you the okay. I'm going to go arrest your father for child abuse and I want the two of you here, where we can protect you, until we have him in custody."  
Doug nodded.  
"What's going to happen to me now," Pacey asked quietly.  
"For now you'll be able to stay with your brother," Mrs. Travers told him softly. " It'll be up to you, Doug, and the courts as to whether that will become permanent or not. We'll have to wait and see how everything works out," she said wishing she could give him a more certain answer but she couldn't. She wasn't even sure that the older brother would want the responsibility of the sixteen year old boy. If not there was always the three sisters who had yet to even show up.  
Mrs. Travers and Mitch Barnes headed for the door to the room. Telling his brother that he would be right back Doug followed them out into the hallway.  
"Sir, the blood on the shirt.." Doug started but was cut off before he could finish his question.  
"It was your father's blood, Doug, which backs up your brother's story about John grabbing him by the collar," Mitch told him. Although he had no doubt as to whether or not Pacey was telling the truth giving the boy's past he was glad that they had some kind of solid evidence. That with Doug's testimony of past abuse would give credibility to Pacey's story when he told it to a judge. "Prepare you brother Doug, because as hard as I know it is going to be for the two of you, you're both are going to have to testify at your father's trial."  
Doug nodded. He had expected that. He was prepared to do so. Giving all Pacey had been through lately though, Doug wasn't sure he could say the same for his brother.  
"Hey Doug," Deputy Eriks, who was currently standing guard on Pacey's room, said as Mitch Barnes headed down the hallway. "A couple of Pacey's friends are down in the waiting area. They've been down there for the last few minutes."  
Doug groaned. With everything that had been happening, it had totally slipped his mind to tell Dawson and Pacey's other friends about what was going on. They were probably worried to death.  
"Thanks, I'll got talk to them," Doug told his co-worker and headed down the hall toward the waiting area. 


	9. Next step

Note: I'm glad to see I haven't lost everyone yet. Rachel00, lou, and vale I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. Helon your suggestion is interesting but I don't think I'm going to go in that direction with this story. Thanks for the review though. C-chan96, you're forgiving for taking so long to review seeing as your review was so flattering. Yeah, I agree with you that the tv was a bad way to find out but as you'll see they weren't the only ones and wait until you find out how Jen found out. Okay well I'll let you all get to reading the next chapter. Enjoy!  
  
"There is still no answer?" Andie said hanging up the phone in frustration. "I've tired Jen's house too and there is no answer there either."  
"What about Joey," Jack asked from his seat on the couch. The two of them had gotten up late and when they had turned on the tv had seen the news story about the robbery at the Witter's house. Since then Andie had been calling people trying to get more information.  
"All Bess knows is that Joey went over to Dawson's early this morning," Andie told him walking around the couch and sitting down next to them. "I called the station and they won't tell me anything. They won't even tell me where I can get a hold of Pacey's brother."  
Before Jack could say anything to his sister, the current commercial was interrupted by the local news again.  
"Updating the story we have been following all morning," the news anchor said, "we have just received word that John Witter, the sheriff of Capeside Massachusetts, has been arrested. At this time we do not know what the charge is. To recap the story..."  
"I'm going crazy," Andie said suddenly standing up again. "I need to know what is going on."  
"Andie..." Jack said but go no further in trying to calm his sister down as the phone rang. Andie made a mad dash for it.  
"Hello," she said quickly.  
"Andie, its Dawson."  
"Dawson, what's going. I've been trying to reach you for what seems like forever. I saw the news and have been trying to get a hold of someone ever since. Is Pacey okay?" Andie said speaking quickly.  
"Whoa, Andie calm down a second. Pacey's going to be fine. Joey and I are at the hospital now with him.."  
"Okay, I'll be right there.."  
"Andie, hold up," Dawson said cutting her off again. "Look, they're releasing him and we're all going over to his brother's Doug place. You know where that is right?"  
"Yeah," Andie said quickly, "We'll meet you there," she said hanging up the phone on Dawson.  
"You do realize you just hung up on him don't you?" Jack commented from his seat on the couch. Andie looked at the phone for a moment. Truth was she hadn't realized it until Jack had said something.  
"That's not important. Come on we need to go," Andie told her brother turning away from the phone and heading for the front door.  
Jack got up and followed his sister grabbing her car keys as he walked by where they were hanging. He doubted she even realized she had forgotten them yet. As he walked onto the front porch he saw Andie already out at the car searching her pockets. He hated seeing his sister this way. Even though he couldn't blame Pacey for breaking up with his sister, he definitely had a good enough reason, he knew his sister still cared about Pacey even though she kept saying she was over him.  
"Looking for these?" he asked holding up the keys as he walked down the steps.  
"I guess I forgot to grab them," Andie said distractedly as she reached for her keys. Jack didn't give them to her.  
"No, get in the passenger seat," Jack told her. "You're too upset to drive," Jack said as he opened the driver's side door and climbed behind the wheel. Jack buckled his seatbelt and waited as Andie, without protest, walked back around the car and got in the passenger's side. As she put her seatbelt on he asked, "So exactly where are we going?" Jack asked realizing that he knew nothing about Andie's telephone conversation.  
  
"Doug, I think you really should get some rest," Mitch Leery said as he and Doug sat at the counter in Doug's kitchen drinking coffee. In the next room Pacey, Dawson, Joey and Jenn. Jenn had been waiting out front of Doug's place when the group showed up. She had been doing some grocery shopping when she had overheard what was going on out at the Witter residence. By this time the whole town of Capeside was talking about it. People were even saying that there never was a robbery and that John Witter had killed his wife.  
There wasn't much talking going on between the teenagers but Mitch knew that what they needed right now was some time alone which was why he and Doug had retreated to the kitchen.  
"No, I'm fine," Doug told Mitch Leery staring into his coffee cup sitting in front of him. Truth was he felt like he could sleep for ten years. He hadn't really gotten any sleep last night with everything that had happened but he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep at this point no matter how tired he was. He still had too many questions floating around in his head. "Can you do me a favor?"  
"Sure, anything," Mitch said honestly. He didn't know Doug that well. Pacey's older brother had always kept pretty much to himself but he did know that Doug took his job as a police officer seriously and Mitch had always respected him for that. Now with everything that was going on with their father, Mitch wanted to be there for Doug as well as for Pacey. Mitch knew this wasn't going to be easy on them, especially not with John Witter having been the town sheriff for the last ten years. The people of Capeside had respected John Witter and something like this was going to be the talk of the town for quite awhile, probably even longer than Joey's father had been the talk of the twon.  
"Can you stay here with them for a little while. There some things I want to check out and I don't want to leave Pacey alone after everything that has happened."  
"Sure no problem," Mitch told him. "Mind telling me where you're going?" Mitch asked.  
"I need to go out to the house," Doug told him. "I need to check things out myself."  
"Doug, I wouldn't believe things people are saying. I know your father isn't the ideal father but maybe you should give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there really was a robbery." Mitch Leery said trying to convince Doug of something that he didn't believe himself. How could he. He always had his suspicions that something wasn't quite right over at the Witter's place. All four of the older kids had moved away as soon as they could, Doug was the only one who had even stayed in Capeside, and even Pacey had spent more time over at the Leery's house than he seemed to at his own house. Maybe if he had stuck his nose into their business when he first had those suspicions things would have turned out differently but instead he had turned his back like everybody else. He couldn't change that now. All he could do was be there for the two boys now.  
"I want to believe what he said," Doug told Mitch. "But I can't no matter how much I try. It just seems to convenient." Doug was quiet for a moment and then he said, "I need to go out there and try finding the answers for myself."  
"Then go," Mitch said seeing that there was no way he was going to be able to change Doug's mind. "I'll stay here till you get back."  
"Thanks," Doug said pushing his coffee cup away and standing up. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the nearby chair and headed for the front door. As he opened the door he found Andie and Jack just coming up the front steps.  
Both the teenagers stopped and looked awkwardly at Doug. They weren't sure what to say or even if they should say anything. Neither of them knew Doug that well.  
"They're all inside," Doug told them breaking the awkward silence. "Go ahead inside."  
Andie and Jack just nodded and stepped past Doug and disappeared inside. Doug walked down the front steps and headed for his squad car parked out front. He got in and started the all to familiar drive to the house he had grown up in. 


	10. Confessions

Rachel00 - well there is a little bit of Pacey in this chapter so I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the review.  
  
Lou- thanks for your very kind words. I'm glad you are enjoying the story so much and hope you keep enjoying it.  
  
Helon- great ideas. Maybe you should write your own stories. I'm not really looking to make this a romance story per say between any of them but if it happens it happens - parts of this story seem to be writing itself. Hope you keep reading.  
  
C-chan96- Thank you so much for your two wonderful reviews. You had me laughing through both of them. My first serenade. I'm so happy. Linkin Park ain't exactly a group I listen too but I still enjoyed the serenade very much. Please keep reviewing. I love reading your reviews and feel honored that you actually reviewed twice even though the second was more of a rant on your part but it's the thought that counts right. Thanks!  
  
The drive out to the house seemed to take forever but eventually Doug reached the spot and pulled his car along the side of the road behind one of the other squad cars already there. Part of him couldn't believe that he had been there the night before. Those events seemed to have taken place so long ago.  
Doug got out of the car and started across the lawn toward the house. The property was swarming with police officers and news reporters. Doug could see the glances that his co-workers shot his way. None of them were sure what to say to him or if they should even say anything. The state detectives who had been brought in on the investigation continued to go about what they were doing not giving Doug's presence a second thought. As far as they knew he was just another Capeside police officer. As for the reporters, it took them a little while to recognize who Doug was and once they did he was already half way across the front yard.  
Once they recognized Doug Witter, the reporters moved to intercept them. They didn't get very far, though as they were stopped by the cops assigned to keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't get in the way of the investigation that was taking place.  
Doug made his way to the house and walked up the front steps. Acting Sheriff Mitch Barnes, who was standing on the front porch talking to the detective in charge of the investigation, had noticed Doug's approach and as he came onto the porch excused himself from his conversation and walked over to Doug.  
"Doug, I'm not sure this is the best idea?" Mitch whispered to him. "Why don't you just go home."  
"I can't, sir" Doug told him evenly. Mitch Barnes could see the determination in the young officer's eyes. He could tell that it would be impossible to convince Doug to leave.  
"Okay," Barnes said giving in. "We could actually use your help," he admitted as he walked with Doug toward the front door. "If you could tell us if you notice anything that is actually missing at least we'll have something to go on."  
"What's that suppose to mean?" Doug asked his boss, looking over at him. The detective that had been talking to Barnes had fallen into step behind them and was the one to answer Doug's question.  
"So far there is no indication that the story of a robbery is true. There is no signs of a force entry, and other than the allegedly missing items nothing seems to have been disturbed. Considering the source of the robbery story I think it was a made up story to cover up what really happened."  
Mitch Barnes shot a warning look back at the detective. It didn't take long for the detective to figure out what that look meant. He had forgotten that the other officer was John Witter's son.  
"Sorry," the detective muttered. Doug didn't say anything. He sure couldn't blame the guy for saying the same thing that he had been thinking ever since he had heard about what happened to his mother.  
Doug almost couldn't believe that this was the house that he had grown up in. Not only was there crime scene tape up, there were detectives that were complete strangers to him swarming all over the place. It seemed unreal to him.  
"Do you notice anything missing?" Mitch Barnes asked him. The question snapped Doug out of his thoughts and back to reality.  
Doug looked around the familiar entry hall. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Without saying a word he walked into the living room still looking around. He so wanted to find something out of the ordinary. Something that indicated that his Dad might possibly be telling the truth. His eyes fell on the shelf along the one side of the room. There were several empty spots on the shelves and Doug searched his memory trying to remember what should have been in those spots.  
"Two antique vases and a couple of my Dad's old books are missing from over there," Doug said pointing to the shelf. He saw the detective flip back through his notebook looking for something.  
"That's what Mr. Witter told us had been taken from the house," the detective said.  
"But just steal four things and leave everything else undisturbed. In my experience thieves aren't usually that particular," Mitch Barnes commented. Doug and the detective had both been thinking the same exact thing.  
Some other detectives came up and started talking to the one who had been with Mitch and Doug.  
"Is it okay if I look around the house?" Doug asked Barnes.  
"Yeah, go ahead. Just keep in mind that this is a crime scene," Barnes told him. Doug nodded as he walked out of the living room. He walked slowly through the rooms on the first floor. Nothing else showed any signs of a robbery. Everything was just like he remembered it when he had been there the evening before.  
Doug headed back toward the front entry way and the stairs. Although he tried not to look down he found his eyes drifted that way anyway. Drifted toward the white chalk outline that was on the wooden floor. Doug kept walking past it. He didn't need to stop and dwell on what that chalk outline meant. He didn't want to remember.  
Doug slowly walked upstairs and started looking into the rooms up stairs. He was still hoping to find something else missing. Something torn apart but he found nothing. He was just walking out of his parents bedroom when something caught his eye. It was a small box sticking ever so slightly out from under the bed.  
Doug instinctively put gloves on before kneeling down and pulling the box out, his boss' words still echoing in his mind. As much as he didn't want it to be this was a crime scene. His childhood home was a crime scene.  
He reached out and pulled the box slowly out from under the bed. When he saw what was in the box he could feel anger rising up in him. He couldn't believe his Dad would go that low. Doug quickly stood up and grabbed a nearby lamp. With a yell he hurled the lamp toward the far wall where it shattered against the wall.  
  
Pacey looked around the room at his friends who were all gathered. Dawson was sitting at the far end of the couch that Pacey was laying on. Joey was sitting on the floor next to him her back against the couch. Jen and Andie were sitting in the two easy chairs in the room and Jack had brought in one of the kitchen chairs and was sitting next to his sister. He had offered to bring Joey a chair but Joey said she was fine where she was.  
No one had said much since everyone had gathered. He had confirmed that what his friends had heard on the television and from the town people was true and then they had grown silent. The silence was getting to Pacey but he was afraid to say anything. He was afraid he would say something to drive them away and he wanted them here. Even if nothing was said, he liked having them in the room. At least he didn't feel so alone.  
"I'm sorry Pacey," Dawson finally said breaking the silence. Everyone look toward him and suddenly Dawson felt uncomfortable but he kept going saying what he had wanted to say all morning. "I'm supposedly your best friend and I haven't exactly been there for you. Hell, I didn't even start thinking something might be wrong at your house until a couple of days ago."  
"You weren't the only one," Joey said softly from the floor beside him. Jen, Jack, and Andie all exchanged glances. They could only imagine how Dawson and Joey felt. They hadn't known Pacey as long as the other two had. They hadn't grown up with him and none of them, except for Andie, had been exactly close to him. They could use that to help them justify their not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Dawson and Joey couldn't. They had grown up with Pacey.  
"Guys, its not your fault," Pacey told them. "Its not any of your fault," he added looking at the other three in the room, his glance lingering on Andie who had looked miserable from the moment she had showed up with Jack. "I'm the one who tried to hide what was going on. I didn't want anyone to know. Everyone else in the family kept quiet about if and I guess I didn't want any other reason for them to think I was the screw-up of the family. And look even when you guys started asking questions all I did was pushed you guys away."  
"And we let you," Andie said softly. "We shouldn't have let you pushed us away like that. A real friend would have been there. Would've kept trying no matter what," she continued her thoughts thinking about what Pacey had done for her not long ago. She had tried several times to push him away but he hadn't given up on her like she had on him.  
"The truth is I didn't want you guys involved in any of this. I didn't want any of you getting hurt."  
"Is that why you always spent time at my house instead of us going to your house?" Dawson asked him.  
"Yeah, that and the fact that I wanted to spend as much time away from my house as possible. I felt safe at your house Dawson, even if it was only for a short time."  
There was silence in the room again. This time it was Jen who spoke up.  
"Pacey this might be out of line, but I need to say it anyway," Jen said looking at the floor not at her friend. "I overheard more than what I originally told you guys I did. People are saying that there never was a robbery, that your father killed your mother. I didn't want to say anything but I don't know, its been bothering me and I needed to tell someone and I wouldn't feel right talking about something like that behind your back so please don't be mad at me for bringing it up," she said wiping away a few tear drops that had fallen.  
"Jen, please don't cry. I'm not mad at you," Pacey said. He wanted to go over to her and give her a hug but he was still sore despite the pain medication the doctor had given him. He hurt just relaxing here on the couch he didn't want to move. "To tell you the truth, I've been thinking along those lines myself," Pacey admitted as Jack crossed over and sat down on the arm of Jen's chair and drew her into a hug.  
Pacey looked at the shocked faces of his friends. Suddenly he didn't want to hide anything from them anymore. He wanted to tell them everything.  
"This isn't the first time my dad has hit me, although this is probably the worse beaten I've ever gotten, and I'm not the only one in my family he has hit. He hit my sisters, and my Mom all the time. That's why my sisters left Capeside right out of highschool."  
"What about Doug?" Dawson asked. Pacey recalled Dawson's question the other afternoon about what had happened between him and Doug. He hadn't answered the question then but now he wanted to.  
"I never saw my Dad hit Doug. As far as I can remember Doug has always gone out of his way to please our father. He's done everything our Dad ever wanted him to do. When Dad would get into one of his moods Doug would disappeared. I even remember one time when I was six years old, my Dad was hitting my mom, and I ran outside to get Doug. I pleaded with him to do something but he wouldn't. He said there was nothing he could do and walked away. After that day I didn't want anything to do with him. I wanted to be nothing like him. I thought he just didn't care about what was going."  
"And now?" Joey asked softly from the floor.  
"Now, I'm thinking maybe going out of the way to be the perfect son was Doug's way of dealing with it. His way of avoiding being hit. I never really even considered that before," Pacey said thinking of his conversation with his brother last night. "But then last night, before I knew about my Mom, when I was pleading with him to drop everything, to let it go he told me he couldn't do that. 'Not this time' he said. I always hated him for not doing anything. For being so heartless. I never even considered he was just finding a way to deal with things himself," Pacey told his friends. He could feel tears falling down his face and he didn't care. So what if people saw him cry. These people were his friends.  
He fast forward, in his mind, through to later last night when his brother had told him about his mother. He thought about the words he had said to his brother. The words he wished now that he could take back. The last couple of days Doug had been trying to help him and he had been pushing him away and despite that he wouldn't go away. Even after he had said those awful words to him, Doug hadn't gone anywhere. All the resentment he had held inside for his brother for years started to melt away and he started to cry harder.  
His friends were quiet. None of them were sure what to do. Each of them were trying to figure out what they should say, what they should do but none of them knew what to do.  
"Pace?" Joey said softly, questionly from the floor wanting to know what it was that had suddenly gotten him so upset although she knew he had plenty to be upset aobut.  
"I told him I wished he was the one that had died," Pacey said through his tears. "All that he has been trying to do for me these last few days and I tell him that. How could I say something like that?"  
Joey moved past Dawson, closer to Pacey. Still kneeling on the floor she reached out and pulled Pacey close. "He knows you didn't mean it," she told Pacey softly her head resting on her shoulder. She thought back to the time when her Mom had died from cancer. She had said something along those lines to her sister at one point when they had been trying to readjust to life without their mother. She hadn't meant that but she still felt bad about saying it even though her sister had long ago forgiven her.  
"What's going to happen to me now, Joey?" Pacey asked her softly through his tears.  
"I don't know, Pacey," Joey told him honestly. "But no matter what your not alone. There are people who care about you Pace, remember that."  
Joey held him until he had drifted off to sleep. She layed him gently back on the couch and took the blanket that Dawson handed her to cover him up. Then quietly she left the living room with her friends.  
"Suddenly my life doesn't seem all that bad," Andie said quietly as they walked into the kitchen. Jack put his arm around his sister's shoulders.  
"I wish there was something we could do," Jen commented. " I just feel so helpless."  
"Just be there for him Jen," Mr. Leery told her as she sat down at the counter. "That goes for all of you. You can't change what has already happened but Pacey needs you know more than ever. This isn't something that is going to go away quickly."  
He looked at his son and son's friends. This was one of those times we he wished he could shield his son from the real world but he knew it wasn't going to happen.  
"Anyone hungry?" he asked setting down a plate of sandwiches on the counter. Slowly and quietly the kids all grabbed a sandwich and found a seat. They ate in silence again no one knowing what to say. 


	11. Siblings

C-chan - Thanks for the beautiful serenade again. I'm flattered. I usually listen to country but like all kinds of music except for heavy metal (I have this thing where if you're going to have lyrics to a song I want to be able to understand them). And in case you're wondering you get to find out what was in the box in this chapter. Happy reading.  
  
Helon- glad you are enjoying it and hope you keep enjoying the story.  
  
"What was that?" an officer said looking over at Sheriff Barnes as they all heard a yell and a crash from upstairs.  
Barnes stopped his conversation with the detective and sprinted up the stairs. He was followed by the detective and several of his officers. Upstairs, Mitch Barnes walked quickly down the hallway glancing into rooms as he walked by. He finally got to the room where Doug was.  
"Are you okay?" Sheriff Barnes asked as he stepped into the room. He glanced from Doug to the broken lamp that now lay on the carpet next to the wall. It wasn't hard to figure out how it got there. He was aware of the others behind him but they stayed quiet.  
"I'm fine, sir," Doug answered. "Sorry about the lamp. I was just so upset- I wasn't thinking."  
"Did you find something," Barnes asked knowing that chewing his officer out about disturbing a crime scene wasn't exactly appropriate in this case nor was it the right place for such a lecture.  
"The robbery story is a lie," Doug told him. "Right there is the stuff that was supposedly stolen," he added pointing to the box on the floor that he had pulled out.  
At Doug's statement the detective pushed his way past Barnes and into the room.  
"Did you touch the box at all?" the detective asked without looking at Doug.  
"I pulled it out from under the bed but I had a glove on. There was only one corner of the box sticking out from under the bed."  
"Good," the detective said concerned only with the case. He didn't know the Witter family and so his personal feelings weren't getting into the way. He just wanted this case wrapped up. "I'll get some people up here to collect the evidence. Nice find," he told Doug as he left the room and headed downstairs.  
"Okay, I think you've done enough here," Mitch Barnes said after the detective had left. The other officers who had followed Barnes up looked at Doug with sympathy. Their image of their sheriff for the last ten years had just been completely shattered but they couldn't imagine what their co- worker was going through right now. "I think its time you go back home."  
Doug thought about arguing with him but he didn't really have the energy. Besides he had found the answer to the question he had most wanted answered. He knew now that his Dad had been lying about the robbery. Exactly what had happened here last night he wasn't sure but he knew now that whatever it was his father was involved. With a nod Doug headed toward the doorway, his fellow officers stepping aside to let him pass.  
"I want the two of you to go with him, and make sure he gets home okay," Mitch said quietly to the two officers as he started out of the room himself. "And keep the reporters away from him. He doesn't need them in his face right now," Barnes told them. After Doug's show of anger with throwing the lamp against the wall, he didn't want to take the chance of him taking a swing at one of the reporters if they started asking him questions.  
The two officers nodded as they followed Barnes down the steps and outside. No one said anything as they all walked out to the cars.  
"Doug," Sheriff Barnes said reaching out a hand to stop the young officer. Off to side some Capeside police officers were busy keeping the media at bay. The two officers that Barnes had assigned as Doug's escort got into their squad cars. "Get some rest," Mitch told him. "We can handle things out here. I'll get back to you about the trial date."  
"I'm suppose to be on duty tonight," Doug said.  
"We'll cover it," Mitch told him. "You need some rest. You getting into a car accident or making yourself sick isn't going to help anyone. I'll have officers outside your house to keep the media away."  
"Thanks," Doug said. The exhaustion was starting to get to him. Plus, his sisters would probably be arriving sometime tonight and he had a funeral to arrange. Suddenly things were starting to seem overwhelming.  
Doug got into the squad car, turned around and headed back in the direction he had come from. The other two squad cars were right behind him and behind them he could see one of the news vans. He was glad that Sheriff Barnes had thought of the escort. He had a feeling he was going to need their help.  
As Doug approached his house he was even more certain that he would need his co-workers help. There were now several news vans and reporters out in front of his house. Doug pulled his squad car into the driveway with the other two right behind him. He waited for his co-workers to come up to his car before he got out.  
As soon as the news reporters saw Doug get out of the car they headed toward him. With his co-workers on either side of him, Doug walked quickly to his front porch wanting desperately to just get inside away from everything. As Doug went inside, the other two officers stayed outside and pushed the media back away from the front porch.  
"The reporters showed up not long after you left," Mitch Leery said walking out of the kitchen.  
"Yeah, they're out at my parent's place too," Doug told him. He looked past Mitch to see all of Pacey's friends gathered in the kitchen.  
"Pacey's asleep in the living room," Mitch told him following Doug's gaze. "I'll take the kids home now," he continued figuring that Doug didn't need a houseful of teenagers hanging around right now.  
"Thanks," Doug told him relieved. He hadn't wanted to tell everyone to leave but he also didn't really want them around right now. He needed some time to himself.  
"Doug, do you want me to arrange everything for the funeral."  
"No, I don't want to trouble you..."  
"Doug, you don't need to handle everything by yourself. It's okay to ask for help. There are people who want to help you. I want to help you," Mitch told him.  
"Okay," Doug said relieved that he didn't have to make the arrangements. He hadn't been sure how he was ever going to get through making the arrangements on top of everything else. "Thank-you."  
"If you need anything else just call," Mitch told Doug as the kids got into their jackets. "No matter what time it is," he added.  
"I will," Doug told him.  
Doug watched as Mitch and the kids went outside and with the help of the two officers made their way to Mr. Leery's and Andie's cars. Doug shut his front door and headed toward the living room. He took off his jacket and laid it across the back of the closest easy chair and then sat down. Pacey was still asleep and before long Doug had fallen asleep in the chair.  
  
A knock at the door woke Doug up. With a groan he got up out of the chair and made his way to the front door. He pulled back the blind and looked out the window to see who was knocking at the door before he opened it. There on the porch was his older sisters Kerry and Amber and his younger sister Sarah. Doug let the blind go and opened the door and let his sisters in.  
"Doug, what is going?" Kerry asked her brother as soon as she walked inside. "I heard that they've arrested Dad."  
"Yeah its true," Doug told her as he shut the front door behind Sarah, a little peeved that her first concern was their father being arrested and not how Pacey was doing.  
"What Pacey do go and tell people that Dad beat him up last night," Kerry continued. "You know he always has been trouble. Mom should've stopped with Sarah."  
"Besides, Pacey's the one that spread that rumor about having sex with his English teacher. How can they even take him seriously," Amber said.  
"I can't believe the two of you," Doug said. "After how Dad has treated all of us you want to defend him."  
"When is the last time Dad ever hit you?" Kerry asked him.  
"That's not the point," Doug said. His Dad hadn't hit him since he was nine years old and Doug knew why, because he had made the decision to do anything his father asked him too. Doug had given up his dreams and let his father control his life. It was a decision that had saved him from the yelling and the bruises but it had also cost him many things and a relationship with his younger brother was only one of those things.  
"Then what is the point?" Amber asked him.  
"The point is that Dad is the one who beat Pacey up like that last night," Doug told his sisters. He thought about telling them about his discovery earlier but then decided against it. Now wasn't the time to bring that up. "You guys haven't been around lately. You haven't seen the bruises on Pacey, the bruises that Mom has gotten lately. Pacey needs out support right now."  
"I'm not getting involved Doug," Kerry told him simply. "I left so I wouldn't have to deal with this stuff and you're not dragging me back into it now. After Mom's funeral I'm out of here."  
"I'm with her," Amber said.. "What happened to Mom is the only reason I'm even here," she told her brother starting to choke up on the words as she thought about he Mom no longer being around.  
"I can't believe the two of you," Doug said angrily. "Don't you even care about Pacey. He is your brother too you know."  
"He's trouble. He always has been," Kerry said.  
"Why? Because he chose to stand up to Dad and none of us ever did. We turned our backs and tried to ignore what was going on. We turned our backs on him. On Mom. I'm not doing that this time."  
"I'm going to go over to the inn to check in," Kerry told him as she opened the front door purposely trying to ignore what he had just said. Amber right behind her older sister. " I'll be in touch." Kerry said as she walked outside.  
Doug just shook his head as the door shut behind Amber. He hadn't really expected anything more from them but he had hoped. Hoped that they would be willing to add their support to Pacey's story at the trial.  
Doug turned around to find Sarah still standing in the hallway. In arguing with his two older sisters he had completely forgotten about his younger sister.  
"How is Pacey?" Sarah asked him timidly, half expecting her older brother to go off on her. She hated it when everyone started yelling at each other.  
"I'm going to be fine," came Pacey's voice from the doorway of the livingroom before Doug had a chance to answer. He was moving slowly and stiffly and Doug could see the pain in his brother's eyes. Doug didn't miss his sister's gasp when she saw the bruises on Pacey.  
"I'm sorry you had to hear that Pace," Doug said apologizing for his sisters who was no longer there.  
"What, its not like I've never heard what a loser people think I am before," Pacey said bitterly. "You know she's probably right. No one is going to believe a word I say and Dad is going to be more pissed off then he was before," he added. Doug could tell his brother was starting to reconsider standing up to their father. Thinking about backing out of testifying at the trial.  
"Pace don't listen to her. You need to do this. We need to do this. This has gone on too long."  
"But when the jury doesn't believe me then things are going to worse," Pacey said, scared at even the thought of ever having to be anywhere alone with his father ever again.  
"That won't happen Pace," Doug told him taking the few steps that it took to close the distance between them and gently pulling his brother into a hug. "I won't let that happen."  
"I'm scared Doug," Pacey admitted.  
"I know Pace," Doug said softly. He was afraid too but he didn't have the luxury of being able to show that. He had to be strong for his younger sister and brother. "But you're not alone in this. You and I, we're in this together."  
"I'm with you too Pace," Sarah said softly.  
Doug held his arm out to his younger sister who walked over and let her brother pull her close. Sarah knew Doug was right. It was time for them to stand up to their father no matter how hard it was. 


	12. Funeral

Rachel- thanks for very kind words. Sorry its been awhile since I updated but I was away last weekend and then past week I have been busy and a lack of inspiration. Hope you like the update though.  
  
Lou - Hey nice to know I got something right (well except for the name - oh well). I'm glad you liked the interaction between Joey and Pacey in the last chapter. I'm not sure if I'm going to do more of them in this story or not but that just seemed to fit there.  
  
C-chan96- hey, I'm with you in that I don't know a lot of the names of the newer country singers but there are songs out there that I like (and have no clue who does them). My favorites though are Radney Foster, Randy Travis and Clay Walker who have been around for awhile. Rest assured John Witter will be properly punished. As for the sisters, I just couldn't bring myself to make all three of them evil, so Sarah got to be the nice one. Well here's your update, enjoy.  
  
A light rain was falling as the funeral procession for Erica Witter made its way through the Capeside cemetery toward the freshly dug grave. Despite everything that was being said around Capeside about John Witter a lot of residents of Capeside had still turned out for the funeral despite the weather. They did it out of respect, even though it was a respect that was quickly fading. They had all thought they knew the Witter family- the family they all looked too as the role model for the perfect family. Recent events had shattered that image.  
As they all gathered around the grave, one look at the grieving family showed them just how far from perfect the family was. The two oldest daughters sat together, slightly away from their other three siblings. Doug, Pacey and Sarah sat together. Doug had his arm around his younger sister's shoulders. Next to Sara, Pacey sat staring at the casket blankly. The swelling had gone away but the bruises were still visible. Bruises that were making people start to believe that the charges against John Witter were true and speculate about the real cause of Regina's death. And then there was John Witter himself. He was sitting in a chair off to the side and behind his children, surrounded by cops. Some people couldn't help but wonder if maybe his grieving was all an act.  
A half hour later, the residents of Capeside slowly made there way away from the grave and to their car. Some of them laid roses on the casket as they walked by or offered a few polite words of condolence to the kids. The last ones to leave were Dawson and his parents. Dawson didn't know what to say to Pacey or his siblings so he didn't say anything. He simply laid a rose on the casket and stood a few steps away. He watched as his parents said a few words to Kerry and Amber and then made there way over to the other three. Dawson watched as his mother hugged Doug and Sarah and then finally Pacey. It all seemed like a bad dream to him and he couldn't even begin to imagine how Pacey and his siblings felt.  
As Dawson and his parents finally walked slowly to their car, Kerry and Amber made their way over to their father. The police officers present took a few steps back out of respect but stayed vigilant.  
"Do you want to go see him," Doug whispered softly to his sister as he put his arm around her shoulders again. Sarah glanced over to where her sisters stood talking with John Witter and then glanced over at Pacey. She shook her head slowly. "Then let's go," Doug said to his two younger siblings. He put his other arm around Pacey and the three of them slowly made their way to Doug's car.  
It seemed like forever before Doug was finally able to say good-bye to the last visitor leaving him alone in the house with only Pacey and Sarah. He knew his friends and neighbors meant well but after the day he had he just wanted everyone to leave him alone. Doug started toward the living room when he heard the doorbell. With a sigh he turned around and opened the door. Sheriff Mitch Barnes was standing there.  
"Ah, come in sir," Doug said awkwardly as Barnes was the last person he had expected. Doug stepped aside and Mitch took a step inside letting Doug close the door.  
"Look, I know you probably want to be alone after the day you've had but I had to stop by and let you know that your father's trial has been set. It starts tomorrow afternoon. Mr. Reynolds wants to meet with you, Pacey, and Sarah tomorrow morning," Barnes told him. Reynolds was the plaintiff lawyer who had been assigned to the case. "He suggested ten o'clock, if that's okay with you."  
"Yeah, that will be fine," Doug told him. He had a feeling though there was something else that Mitch had to tell him. Taking a deep breath Mitch proved that feeling right.  
"Doug, the charges against your father have changed. There charging with abuse and murder, the judge wants to try everything at the same time. You're going to have to testify about the stuff you found out at your parent's place on Saturday."  
Doug looked up at the ceiling. He had been dreading that even though he knew it was coming. He hadn't even told any of his siblings about what had happened Saturday morning. He knew that the thought that their father was responsible for their mother's death had at least crossed his brother's mind but he hadn't told him that they had found evidence to the fact. He knew he had to tell both Sarah and Pacey before the following morning. He couldn't let them find from the lawyer tomorrow morning.  
"Are you okay Doug?" Mitch asked him growing concerned.  
"Yeah, I just wish all this was over with already."  
"I know," Barnes said sympathetically. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," Barnes said as he headed toward the front door and let himself out. As the door shut behind him Doug turned and headed toward the living room once again trying to figure out how to break the news to Pacey and Sarah.  
  
Leave her alone," Pacey yelled at his father as he came into the livingroom. At the sound of his son's voice JohnWitter stopped hitting his wife and turned on his son. He took a swing and his fist connected with his son's jaw. He hit his son a second time before Pacey had time to recover from the first blow.  
"You need to learn to mind your own business boy," he yelled.  
Trying to ignore the pain Pacye tried to get own punch in but John Witter grabbed his son by the collar and shoved him up against the wall.  
Pacey bit his lip to keep from calling out. He wasn't about to give his father that kind of satisfaction. The left isde of his face hurt and his back hurt from the being shoved up against the wall.  
"You're a disgrace to this family," John Witter told his son shoving him against the wall again. Pacey sturggled to get a breath in. "You'll always be a loser. Nothing will ever change," he told his son.  
John Witter let go of his grip on Pacey's shirt and Pacye sank to his knees. He tried to fight back the tears. He didn't want to show that kind of weakness in front of his father. He tried to get the strength to fight back but before he could Pacey felt another shcok of pain as his Dad's foot connected with his ribs sending him sprawling on the ground. Pacey clutched his ribs as his father kept kicking him. One kick connected with the side of his face and Pacey cried out in pain.  
"Not so tough now are you,' John Witter told his son menacingly.  
"Sop it. Leave him alone," Erica Witter said grabbing her husband's arm. John Witter left his son alone and turned back to his wife who was being the nuisance now.  
Pacey gathered all the strength he had left in him and got up and ran out of the house. He knew he couldn't take anymore of his father that night. He wasn't sure where he was going he just ran. Ran as fast and as far away as he could but his father's words still echoed in his mind.  
  
Pacey opened his eyes alarmed, looking around for his father. Instead all he saw was his brother's guest room. As he laid there in the dark reality started to come back to him. His dad had been arrested and his mother was dead. The trial started tomorrow and Pacey would have to face his father again. He closed he eyes and tried to go back to sleep again like he had all the other times that his nightmare had woken him up but this time sleep wouldn't come. Pacey hugged the pillow to him and started crying softly. The nightmare hadn't ended after all.  
  
Something woke Doug Witter up and he wasn't sure what it was. He lay there in bed listening but he didn't hear anything unusual. Throwing back the covers Doug got out of bed and heading out into the living room.  
Sarah lay fast asleep on the couch. She had insisted that she take the couch as she would be the most comfortable on it. Walking quietly through the living Doug made his way over to the guess room where his brother was staying.  
At first he thought that his brother was still sleeping, just like Sarah but then he heard the soft sobbing coming from the direction of the bed. Doug slowly made his way over to the bed and sat down on the edge.  
"Pace, what's wrong?" Doug asked softly laying his hand on Pacey's shoulder. His brother was facing the wall his back toward him.  
"Every time I close my eyes I see him Doug. I remember what happened that night."  
"You just had a bad dream Pace. Your safe now Pacey."  
"For how long Doug?" Pacey asked quietly. "What if Dad wins? What if he isn't found guilty? What happens then Doug?"  
"That's not going to happen Pacey," Doug said refusing to even entertain that possible scenario. "Is that the only thing you're worried about?" Doug asked trying to get his brother to talk about what he was feeling.  
"What's going to happen to me Doug? You, Kerry, Amber, and Sarah are all on your own now but what about me?"  
"Well, the Leery's have offered to take you in," Doug said quietly. He hadn't said anything because he was still trying to figure out what would be best for everyone involved.  
"I should've known," Pacey muttered softly. That hadn't been the answer he had wanted to hear. As nice as the Leery's had always been to him he didn't want to live them. He wanted to stay with his brother, to feel like he had some connection to his family. He knew it had been a long shot though. Deep down, he knew his brother wouldn't want him and why should he. Pacey was trouble just like Kerry had said and then there were all the mean things he had said to his brother. They had never really been that close and the way he saw if that was mostly his fault. He had never given Doug much of a chance, always keeping him away with sarcastic remarks and jokes.  
"Knew what Pace?" Doug asked. He waited for his brother to answer him. An answer didn't come quickly though. Doug was about to ask again when Pacey finally spoke up.  
"I should've know you wouldn't want me and I can't really blame you."  
"Pacey its not that simple. I need to do what is best for both of us."  
"Doug I don't want to be alone," Pacey said sitting up and facing his brother. "Please, Doug don't send me away to live with someone else. I want to stay with you."  
Suddenly Doug knew what he had to do. It wouldn't be easy but he could do it.  
"I won't Pace. If that's what you really want then we'll make it work somehow," Doug told him.  
"Thank-you Doug," Pacey said giving his brother a hug. Doug hugged his brother back.  
"Now try to get some sleep," Doug said pulling away. "We all have another long day in front of us."  
As Pacey laid back down Doug stood up and headed for the door. He walked out of the room and pulled the door part way closed but he didn't go back to his room. Instead, he sat down in one of the arm chairs in the living room. He wanted to be near by in case his brother had anymore nightmares. 


	13. Aftermath

Note: Okay guys, I decided to skip over the trial as I wasn't at sure how to write it at all. I hope you like this chapter anyway and I do fill in what happens at the trial a little bit.  
  
Rachel - thank-you for your kind words. Even though he wasn't a main character in the series Doug would have to be my favorite character from the show. I'm glad you still like the story and hope you continue to like it after this story.  
  
C-Chan96- Thank-you for another very entertaining review. I have to say that I think I end up making John Witter a little more human than you made George Conway in the end but he does get what is coming to him. Hope you enjoy.  
  
Bbwholly1981 and lou thank-you for letting me know you're enjoying the story. It means a lot to me. Thanks  
  
A week later:  
"Call me when you get home," Doug told Sarah as he gave her a hug as the bus driver stored her suitcase under the bus. Sarah was heading back to her apartment and school.  
The trial had ended yesterday morning. It had been a long week for the three Witter children who hung around for the trial. The trail had been well publicized and the courtroom had been packed with Capeside residents who were curious about its outcome. John Witter had spent last week denying the charges against them despite Pacey's testimony and Doug and Sarah's testimony which had backed him up. It had been when the plaintiff lawyer had gotten into the details surrounding Erica Witter's death that John Witter had started showing any signs of emotion.  
About twenty minutes into the questioning John Witter had started crying, right there on the witness stand, in front of everyone in the courtroom. And then the truth had started to come out. John Witter had gone home after seeing Pacey in the hospital and got into an argument with his wife. Erica had been upset that John had spent so little time at the hospital that he didn't seem to care about his son. John had lost it, and pushed his wife away from him but they were at the top of the steps at that point. Erica had lost her balance and fell down the steps. John had called the paramedics and quickly thought up the story about the robbery, hiding a few things in the process to make it look good.  
The confession on the stand brought a quick close to the case and made the jury's job easy. John Witter was found guilty of child abuse and involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. As the police led John Witter from the court room Doug hadn't been able to meet his father's gaze. Even if he hadn't intended to kill her Doug still wasn't ready to forgive him - for his mother's death, what he had done to Pacey, or what he had done to all of them over the years. Doug was relieved that the trial was done and the truth was out but he knew it was far from over. The people of Capeside would be talking about this for weeks if not months. Doug had to face his co-workers at the station and Pacey would have to face his peers at Capeside High. It wasn't going to be easy. Doug was just thankful that Sarah wouldn't have to face that.  
"I will," Sarah said brining, her voice bringing Doug out of her thoughts. Doug let his sister go and took a step back as Pacey said good- bye to his sister.  
After saying good-bye to her brother's Sarah got onto the buys and found a sleep. As the bus started to pull away, Sarah waved out the window to her brothers standing on the sidewalk. As happy as she was to be leaving Capeside behind she was going to miss the two of them.  
As Sarah's bus turned the corner, Doug glanced down at his watch.  
"Come on," he said to Pacey. "We need to get going or we're going to be late for our meeting with Mrs. Travers and Mr. Reynolds."  
Pacey just nodded and followed his brother to the car. Doug had agreed to take him in but now it was up to Mrs. Travers if she was going to allow it and the way things had been going for him lately he wouldn't be at all surprised if she decided against it. Mrs. Travers hadn't seemed at all to supportive of the idea yesterday afternoon when she had meet with them at Doug's place.  
  
"Why do I feel like everyone is whispering about me behind my back?" Pacey said as he walked down the hallway of Capeside High toward the cafeteria.  
"Because they are," Joey said matter-of-factly as she walked beside him. Of all his friends, Pacey knew that Joey understood the most what he was going through. Her sordid family past had been the talk of Capeside for years. Pacey had always admired Joey for her ability to hold her head up high and ignore what people said about her and her family. He was quickly finding out just how hard that must have been for her to do and he admired her even more.  
"Yeah, but I wish they could be a little more discreet about it. People have been staring at me all morning."  
"The staring will past eventually," Joey told him honestly. "But you're always going to have a few people that will talk about it, talk about you, look down on you because of what your father did," she continued speaking from experience. There were times that she couldn't wait to graduate, to go away to college just so she could get away from Capeside and everyone who knew about her past.  
"Well, thanks for sticking by me this morning Joe," Pacey said honestly as they got in line to get their lunch. "I don't think I could've done this alone. I probably would've left."  
"No problem," Joey told him uncomfortable with the compliment. She was so use to trading banter with Pacey that anything else just seemed unnatural.  
The two got their lunches and headed over to the table where Jack, Andie, Dawson, and Jen were already sitting. The group was talking about something as Pacey and Joey approached.  
"Sounds like fun," Dawson was saying as Pacey and Joey got close enough to hear the conversation. "We'll have to try getting Joey and Pacey to come along."  
"Come along for what?" Joey asked as she set her tray down next to Dawson and sat down. Pacey sat down in the empty chair between her and Jack.  
"A beach picnic dinner to celebrate the coming spring," Jen said cheerfully.  
"Count me in," Joey said. The weather was beautiful today and after the events of the past week it would be nice to spend some time alone with her friends. It would still be a few more weeks before people started spending a lot of time down on the beach of Capeside.  
"Pacey, what about you?" Jen asked. He had really been the whole reason Jen had thought up the picnic dinner idea. She thought it would be a good distraction for him.  
"I don't think I'll be able to make it," Pacey told them.  
"Oh come on, it won't be the same without you there,"Andie said.  
"The whole point is for us to all be able to get together," Jen said.  
"Do you have other plans or something?" Dawson asked him.  
"Sort of," Pacey told them. "Doug wanted to talk after he gets off work this afternoon. He wants to discuss some ground rules seeing as I'm now going to be living with him." When Mrs. Travers had announced her decision the day before Pacey had been thrilled. It seemed like the first thing that had gone his way in a long time. Doug hadn't seemed as happy though. Pacey couldn't help but wonder if Doug really wanted him around or not.  
"Dictator Doug, huh," Jack said easily from beside Pacey a smile on his face.  
"You know McPhee, if that comment ends up being true I'm never going to let you live it down," Pacey told him with a slight smile.  
"I was just kidding," Jack said holding his hands up in defense.  
"Why don't you just ask him if you two can have your discussion afterwards," Dawson said. "I'm sure he'll understand if you want to spend some time with your friends."  
"Truth is Dawson, I'm not even sure Doug is happy with this arrangement. He didn't seem at all thrilled about it yesterday when we were meeting with the social worker. I'm starting to think Doug would have been happier if I was staying with you and your family," Pacey said. It was the first time he had voiced his fears out loud to anyone.  
"I think you're over reacting a little," Dawson told his friend.  
"Pacey, he's probably just as scared as you are. He doesn't know what is going to happen now anymore than you are," Jen said softly. Pacey felt himself starting to get angry with his friends. How could they take his brother's side in this. Before he could say anything though Joey spoke up.  
"Jen's got a point Pacey," Joey said beside him. "I remember feeling as if Bess didn't want me around at first when my Dad was sent away to prison. It turns out that she was just scared. Scared that she wouldn't be able to provide for me. Scared of making mistakes. Doug probably feels the same way."  
"All the more reason why I shouldn't go with you guys tonight," Pacey said. "I don't want to be difficult. If I cause problems Doug could easily decide that he did make a mistake in taking me in." Pacey was determined not to do that. It was important that he not lose this final connection to his family.  
"Asking if you could spend some time with you're friends isn't being difficult Pacey," Andie told him reasonably.  
"Another time guys," Pacey said in a tone which told them the discussion was over. He had made up his mind. "You guys have dinner without me okay. I don't want to ruin you're fun."  
There was a silence around the table for a little bit as no one knew what to say. They all wanted to try convince Pacey to join them but knew it was probably better if they didn't. Finally Jen brought up the topic of a school project they all had to do and they all started talking about that. Everyone except for Andie who was working out a plan of her own in her head. 


	14. The beach

Rachel00- I'm glad you liked how I dealt with the trial. Thanks for your support throughout the story and I hope you like the ending.  
  
C-Chan96- all good things have to come to an end so please try not to cry to much. I have some ideas for more Dawson's Creek stories as soon as I get around to writing them. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I'm glad the trial (or non-trial) went over well. I intended the Joey line to kind of lighten the mood a little so I'm glad someone found it funny. Hope you like my attempt at humor at the end of this chapter (story too). Thanks for you're support.  
  
Pacey walked out the front door of Capeside High happy to be done for the day. He was also thankful that most of the other kids had already disappeared except for those doing after school activities. That was the only advantage to having to have a meeting with Mr. Milo, the guidance counselor after school today, Pacey didn't have an audience as he left the school.  
The school might have been empty but the streets sure weren't. As Pacey walked toward Doug's place he couldn't help but notice the side long glances he got from people. "They're probably trying to decide if I was telling the truth this time," Pacey thought to himself as he kept on walking.  
As Pacey walked up the porch steps he noticed that Doug wasn't home yet. He glanced down at his watch. It was a little after three-thirty. Doug would have just gotten off at the station. Pacey let himself in and then shut the door behind him.  
He headed toward the kitchen and sat down at the table taking out his school books. He had a lot of work to still catch up on which was what his meeting with Mr. Milo had been about. As much as he would rather be watching tv, Pacey was determined to show Doug that he wasn't going to be a problem. Doing his school work without being hounded about it was the only thing he could think of right now.  
He was halfway through a math assignment when he heard the front door open and close. As he heard his brother's footsteps approach the kitchen he looked up. His brother leaned against the doorway and took in the sight of his brother actually doing schoolwork voluntarily. He thought about making some wise crack about it but thought that probably wouldn't be the best choice this time. He didn't want to discourage his brother from actually trying to catch up on the school work he had missed.  
Pacey couldn't help but notice how exhausted his brother looked. He hadn't noticed it before but he was sure it had been there. Pacey had just been too wrapped up in his own feelings t notice. His brother had been the strong one this past week. Doug had not only been there for him but Sarah too and Pacey knew that Doug had at least two more arguments with their older sisters. Doug had been trying to keep what was left of their family together and Pacey knew his brother had felt as if he had failed.  
"Rough day?" Pacey asked not sure what else to say.  
"You could say that," Doug answered although he didn't elaborate on it. Pacey figured Doug had probably faced about the same thing he had faced in school today. "I thought you'd be getting ready?" Doug said.  
"Ready for what?" Pacey asked trying to figure out what his brother was referring too. He tried to remember if Doug had said anything about them going someplace tonight.  
"The picnic dinner on the beach with your friends," Doug answered a small smile coming to his face as his brother looked at him in disbelief. "Andie stopped by the station after school looking for me," Doug told him pulling out a chair and sitting down next to his brother. "She told me why you weren't going to go and asked me to convince you to go."  
"Doug, it's no big deal. I'll hang out with them some other time."  
"Pacey, go. Have fun tonight, you deserve it. We'll talk later," Doug told him. Pacey opened his mouth to protest but Doug cut him off. "Pacey, look you don't have to try and be a model kid for me. I know you. I know that isn't going to happen no matter how hard you try," Doug told him and Pacey looked down at the table. "And look, I know I haven't exactly seemed thrilled about this arrangement but I don't want you to think I don't want you around. I do Pacey. You're my brother. I just don't know what is going to happen Pace."  
"Okay who else have you been talking to?" Pacey asked starting to get a little angry at his friends. He knew somebody had said something. There was no way his brother had suddenly become psychic. Doug gave a small laugh.  
"Joey and Dawson stopped by not long after Andie. You know I figured I'd probably be asking people for advice from time to time but I didn't expect to be taking advice from a bunch of teenagers."  
"Hey, we're smarter than people give us credit for," Pacey said. He tried to stay mad at them for telling his brother what he had told them but he was failing miserably. As much as he hated to admit it, he was thankful that his friends had took it upon themselves to tell Doug what was going on. He knew he would have never been able to bring up the subject himself.  
"Get going, or you're going to be late," Doug said bringing an end to their conversation before it got any sappier.  
Pacey stood up and quickly gathered his stuff together with a smile. He grabbed his back pack and headed to his room. He wasn't sure why but he paused at the doorway and looked back. He watched as Doug leaned his elbows on the table and laced his fingers behind his neck. Pacey thought again about how exhausted Doug had looked when he came in. Doug deserved a chance to get away from things and relax himself and Pacey knew his brother didn't have all that many friends, in fact Ted Hipkins was the only friend of Doug's that still lived in Capeside as far as Pacey knew.. He knew what he had to do and he knew his friends would understand.  
"Doug, why don't you come along with me?" Pacey said.  
"I don't think that's what your friends had in mind, Pacey," Doug said turning around to face his brother.  
"They won't mind. Come on it'll be fun," Pacey said not about to give up that easily. "Besides, I'll be miserable thinking about you here all alone," Pacey told him with a sly smile.  
"Well, since you twisted my arm," Doug said standing up. Hanging out with a bunch of sixteen year olds wouldn't be high on the list of any twenty-five year old but Doug had to admit it certainly beat hanging around the house by himself.  
Pacey took his stuff to his room and grabbed his jacket and then waited for his brother who was changing out of his uniform. The two of them ended up walking to the beach. Jen, Joey, Andie, Jack, and Dawson were already gathered on the beach starting to set everything out.  
"Hey, there's Pacey," Jen called out as she saw him approaching the group. The others all looked up from what they were doing. Pacey didn't miss the look of surprise on their faces when they saw Doug with but as he thought they would they hid it quickly.  
"Hi Doug," Dawson, who knew Doug the best, said. "Glad you both could make," he continued as his friends echoed their agreement.  
"Thanks," Doug said. He hadn't missed the surprised look on all of their faces and he couldn't blame them. He was sure they hadn't been expecting him but he appreciated their quick cover up.  
"Come on guys, I'm hungry," Jen said as she sat down on the blanket and finished taking the stuff out of the picnic basket she had brought along.  
The others quickly found places on the blanket themselves and they all started helping themselves to their picnic feast. Pacey looked around at his friends and he knew he couldn't ask for better friends.  
"You needed a chaperone, hey Witter," Joey said as she settled back in her place with her plate of food.  
"Cute Potter," Pacey said. "Actually I figured I'd bring Doug along to keep everyone in line. After all this was Jen's idea and we all know how wild those New York girls can get."  
"Hey, how did this turn on me. She's the one who started it," Jen said even though she was laughing with the rest of them. Joey's comment had managed to lighten the mood and put everyone at ease with Doug's prescence.  
"I don't know Pace," Doug said, "I seem to remember finding someone hanging upside down from a tree drunk at a golf course a couple of months ago."  
"Man, you're not going to let me live that down are you," Pacey said.  
"Probably not," Doug admitted.  
Joey and Andie exchanged a glance. They had been the first two that Doug had found at the golf course that night. Joey was hoping no one would bring that up. That had been one Valentine's Day she wanted to forget about. She didn't get that lucky though.  
"Yeah, and Joey will always be able to say that the first time she ever got pulled over she was speeding in a golf cart," Dawson said.  
"Thanks for reminding me and everyone else Dawson," Joey said trying to sound peeved as her friends laughed around her.  
"Hey you started it," Dawson told her.  
"Fine okay, I started it," Joey said. "Now can we please change the subject?" Joey asked not at all liking where this conversation was heading.  
Much to Joey's relief Jack brought up the Capeside High baseball team and how well they were doing this year. They group talked while they ate and then watched the sun set. After the sun set the group started gathering stuff up and heading off to their homes.  
"Now about those ground rules," Doug said as he and Pacey walked along the sidewalk toward home.  
"Man, I should've known it wouldn't take you long to bring that up," Pacey said shaking his head. At least things were starting to feel as if they were returning to some sort of normalcy.  
  
-The End 


End file.
